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v/tHE    DUCHESS   OF   ANGOULEME   AND   THE   TWO    RESTORATIONS. 

THREE   VOLUMES  ON   THE  DUCHESS  OF  BERRY. 

v/tHE   DUCHESS   OF   BERRY  AND   THE   COURT   OF   LOUIS   XVIil. 

i/tHE   DUCHESS   OF   BERRY   AND   THE   COURT   OF    CHARLES   X.     (In    Press.) 

l-^THE  DUCHESS  OF  BERRY  AND  THE  REVOLUTION  OF  JULY,  1830.     (In  Press.) 


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^^^aj^e      /6uttr^^^LJ4.^_,^ 


THE 


Duchess  of  Berry 


COURT  OF  LOUIS  XVIII 


BY 
/l  D  p  K  1       UC     :5  A  1  IN  1  -  A  iVl  A  IN  U  ,  i  i  • 


IMBfRT    DE    SAINT-AMAND^rt. 


TRANSLATED  BY 

ELIZABEtlTGILBERT   MAKTIN 


WITH  PORTRAIT 


NEW   YORK 
CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S    SONslR    AWW?>^7?*? 


'/ 


COPYRIGHT,   1892,  BY 
CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS, 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.     Childhood 1 

II.     The  Marriage  by  Proxy 13 

III.  The  Departure    from  Naples 21 

IV.  The  Lazaretto  of  Marseilles 29 

V.     Entering  Marseilles 42 

VI.    From  Marseilles  to  Fontainebleau 48 

VII.     Fontainebleau 59 

VIII.     The  Entry  into  Paris 68 

IX.    The  Marriage 77 

X.    The  Early  Days  of  Marriage 83 

XI.     The  Tuileries 89 

XII.     The  :feLYSEE 90 

XIII.  The  First  Sorrow 102 

XIV.  1818 Ill 

XV.     1819 121 

XVI.     Count  Decazes 132 

XVII.     The  Duke  of  Berry 139 

XVIII.     LouvEL 146 


M111571 


Vi  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XIX.  The  Murder  of  the  Duke  of  Berry 155 

XX.  The  Day  after  the  Murder 171 

XXI.  The  Obsequies  of  the  Duke  of  Berry 185 

XXIL  The  Widow 192 

XXIII.  The  Birth  of  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux 205 

XXIV.  The  Eejoicings 219 

XXV.  Chambord 229 

XXVI,  The  Baptism  of  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux 239 

XXVII.  The  Countess  of  Cayla 256 

XXVIII.  The  End  of  the  Keign 266 

XXIX.  The  Death  of  Louis  XVIII 283 


THE  DUCHESS  OF   BERRY 


COURT  OF  Louis  XVlll 


THE  DUCHESS  OF  BERRY  AND  THE 
COURT  OF  LOUIS  XVIII 


CHILDHOOD 

MARIE  CAROLINE  FERDINANDE  LOUISE 
DE  BOURBON,  the  future  Duchess  of  Berry, 
was  born  November  5,  1798.  Her  parents  were 
Francis,  Duke  of  Calabria,  hereditary  Prince  of  the 
Two  Sicilies  (son  of  King  Ferdinand  IV.  and  Queen 
Marie  Caroline),  and  the  Archduchess  Marie  Clemen- 
tine, daughter  of  the  Emperor  Leopold  II.  The 
Bourbons  were  no  longer  reigning  in  France  at  the 
time  of  her  birth,  although  they  continued  to  do  so 
in  Spain  and  the  Two  Sicilies.  Two  direct  descen- 
dants of  Louis  XIV.,  Charles  IV.  and  Ferdinand 
IV.,  occupied  respectively  the  thrones  of  Madrid  and 
of  Naples.  Both  of  them  were  grandsons  of  Philip 
V.  of  Spain,  that  French  Prince  who,  when  he 
ascended  the  throne  of  Charles  V.,  had  caused  his 
grandfather,  the  Sun-King,  to  say:  "There  are  no 
more  Pyrenees." 

1 


2  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBRY 


I  c;  <I;a'173i?,  Philip' -y.  had  endowed  his  second  son, 
'  Doll' Carios,"' with -the  kingdom  of  the  Two  Sicilies. 
He  reigned  at  Naples  until,  in  consequence  of  the 
death  of  his  elder  brother,  Ferdinand  VI.,  who  had 
succeeded  Philip  V.,  he  inherited  the  throne  of 
Spain,  and  assumed  the  title  of  Charles  III.  Be- 
fore departing  for  his  new  dominions,  he  invested 
his  young  son,  Ferdinand,  with  the  crown  of  the 
Two  Sicilies,  October  6,  1759.  As  he  transferred 
to  him  the  sword  which  Philip  V.  had  received 
from  Louis  XIV.,  he  said:  "Preserve  it  for  the 
defence  of  religion  and  thy  people." 

The  new  King,  who  was  only  eight  years  old,  took 
the  name  of  Ferdinand  IV.  On  April  7,  1768,  he 
married  a  daughter  of  the  great  Empress  Maria 
Theresa,  and  a  sister  of  Marie  Antoinette:  the 
Archduchess  Marie  Caroline. 

Between  1772  and  1793  Marie  Caroline  had  no 
fewer  than  eighteen  children,  of  whom  only  six  sur- 
vived. One  of  these  was  Francis,  Duke  of  Calabria, 
hereditary  Prince  of  the  Two  Sicilies,  born  August 
19, 1777.  On  September  19, 1790,  this  Prince  married 
his  cousin-german,  the  Archduchess  Marie  Clemen- 
tine, daughter  of  the  Emperor  I^eopold  11. ,  niece  of 
Marie  Antoinette,  Queen  of  France,  and  of  Marie 
Caroline,  Queen  of  Naples.  The  Duchess  of  Berry 
sprang  from  this  marriage  which  united  the  Bour- 
bons to  the  Hapsburghs.  Under  the  title,  "An 
Epitome  of  the  Events  of  my  Life  from  my  Birth 
until  my  Marriage,"  she  wrote  a  journal  which  she 


CIIILBUOOD  3 


presented  to  General  Dernoncourt,  who  gave  it  to  the 
celebrated  novelist,  Alexandre  Dumas.  Our  own 
acquaintance  with  this  precious  manuscript  is  due  to 
the  courtesy  of  our  friend,  Alexandre  Dumas  jils. 

At  the  time  when  the  Princess  came  into  the 
world,  Naples  and  Sicily  were  in  a  profoundly 
disturbed  condition.  A  bitter  strife  was  raging 
between  the  partisans  and  the  adversaries  of  the 
French  Revolution.  Deeply  irritated  against  the 
men  and  things  of  1793,  agonized  by  the  executions 
of  her  sister  and  her  brother-in-law,  and  feeling  a 
religious  devotion,  almost  amounting  to  fanaticism, 
for  the  ancient  principles,  Marie  Caroline,  whose 
hates  and  loves  were  alike  prodigious  in  their  vio- 
lence, fought  relentlessly  against  the  liberal  move- 
ment. Upheld  by  the  English  Admiral  Nelson,  and 
swayed  by  the  influence  of  the  too-famous  Lady 
Hamilton,  the  admiral's  mistress  and  the  wife  of 
the  English  ambassador  to  Naples,  she  struggled 
against  the  new  ideas  with  a  stubbornness  that  bor- 
dered on  frenzy.  At  the  close  of  1798,  however, 
she  was  obliged  to  flee  before  the  Revolution,  with 
the  King  and  the  royal  family.  She  sought  shelter 
on  an  English  vessel,  the  Vanguard.,  which  carried  her 
from  Naples  to  Palermo.  A  frightful  storm  broke 
out  during  the  voyage,  and  the  Queen  lost  her 
youngest  son,  a  boy  of  seven  years.  "We  are  all 
going  to  rejoin  him  at  once,"  cried  she,  in  a  paroxysm 
of  fear  and  grief.  The  ship  which  contained  the 
future  Duchess  of  Berry,  then  not  quite  two  months 


THE  DUCHESS   OF  BERliY 


old,  had  one  of  its  masts  broken  and  was  tossed 
about  on  a  troubled  sea  for  five  days  before  entering 
the  harbor  of  Palermo. 

The  Neapolitan  republic  was  proclaimed,  but  was 
of  brief  duration.  Cardinal  Fabrice  Ruffo,  that 
warlike  prelate  who  boasted  of  employing  the  keys 
of  Saint  Peter  and  the  sword  of  Saint  Paul  by  turns, 
re-conquered  Naples  for  the  King  in  June,  1799,  and 
entered  the  capital  in  triumph.  A  bloody  reaction 
at  once  set  in.  The  most  distinguished  personages 
were  sent  to  the  scaffold,  and  "  one  hardly  calumni- 
ates this  frightful  epoch,"  says  Baron  Louis  de  Viel- 
Castel,  "by  comparing  it  to  the  Terror  of  1793." 

Marie  Clementine,  wife  of  the  Prince-royal  and 
mother  of  the  future  Duchess  of  Berry,  had  a  kind 
and  generous  soul.  She  shuddered  at  the  horrors 
that  were  taking  place.  Among  the  victims  sen- 
tenced to  death  was  a  pregnant  woman,  Luigia  San- 
felice,  who  inspired  her  with  profound  pity.  This 
was  in  August,  1800.  The  Princess  had  just  borne 
a  son  who  had  received  the  name  of  Ferdinand,  and, 
in  virtue  of  a  very  ancient  custom  existing  in  vari- 
ous royal  families,  she  was  thereby  entitled  to  ask 
three  favors  from  the  sovereign.  In  order  the  better 
to  assure  the  success  of  her  application,  she  united 
all  three  into  one,  —  a  petition  for  the  pardon  of  the 
wretched  Sanfelice.  King  Ferdinand  was  inflexi- 
ble, and  the  victim  was  beheaded  directly  after  her 
confinement.  This  horrible  tragedy  filled  Marie 
Clementine  with  consternation,  and  from  that  time 


CHILDHOOD 


she  pined  away.  Her  son  died  the  same  year.  She 
herself  was  attacked  by  a  cold  which  developed  into 
lung  disease,  of  which  she  died,  November  16,  1801. 
Marie  Caroline,  who  was  tender  and  affectionate  in 
her  family,  though  cruel  where  politics  were  con- 
cerned, wrote  as  follows  to  Lady  Hamilton,  on 
December  6 :  — 

"  Of  course  you  have  heard  of  the  frightful  mis- 
fortune I  have  had  in  losing  my  dear,  good  daugh- 
ter-in-law. This  destroys  the  only  comfort  I  had 
left,  —  that  of  perfect  domestic  union  and  harmony. 
She  died  like  a  saint,  the  dear  and  good  Princess, 
and  her  husband  is  in  the  depths  of  despair.  My 
poor  children  do  nothing  but  weep  for  their  sister- 
in-law,  who  was  a  tender  sister  to  them,  and  who, 
after  my  death  (which  cannot  be  far  off,  considering 
my  pains  and  troubles),  would  have  been  like  their 
mother." 

The  Duchess  of  Berry  was  then  only  four  years 
old.  In  her  journal  she  devotes  these  touching  lines 
to  the  mother  so  soon  removed  from  her  by  God :  — 

"I  was  then  too  young  to  be  able  to  remember 
her;  but  I  have  found  ineffaceable  souvenirs  of  her 
in  the  hearts  of  all  who  were  so  happy  as  to  be  near 
her  and  admire  her  virtues.  May  Heaven  grant  to 
her  prayers  the  favor  I  beg  of  laboring  to  merit  her 
virtues,  her  enlightened  piety,  her  beneficence ;  in  a 
word,  all  that  deepens  my  regret  for  not  having 
known  her!  How  I  would  have  cherished  her!  So 
I  judge  from  the  sentiments  I  experience  for  her 


6  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BERRY 


whom  Heaven  has  given  me  as  a  second  and  affec- 
tionate mother,  in  the  person  of  S.  A.  R.  the  Infanta 
Marie  Isabelle  of  Spain,  whose  kindness  to  me  is 
unfailing." 

This  Infanta  was  the  daughter  of  Charles  IV., 
King  of  Spain.  She  became  the  second  wife  of  the 
father  of  the  Duchess  of  Berry,  July  6,  1802. 

The  Duchess  of  Berry  had  just  entered  her  eighth 
year  when,  on  January  23,  1806,  her  family  were 
for  the  second  time  obliged  to  fly  from  Naples  and 
take  refuge  in  Sicily.  Napoleon  had  written,  in  a 
violent  bulletin :  — ■ 

"  I  send  General  Saint-Cyr  to  punish  the  treasons 
of  the  Queen  of  Naples,  and  to  cast  from  the  throne 
that  guilty  woman  who  has  so  often  and  with  so 
much  effrontery  profaned  every  law,  human  and 
divine.  The  Bourbons  of  Naples  have  ceased  to 
reign,  thanks  to  the  latest  perfidy  of  the  Queen. 
Let  her  be  off  to  London,  then,  to  complete  the  num- 
ber of  brigands ! " 

The  throne  of  Naples  was  occupied  by  Joseph 
Bonaparte  until  1808,  and  by  Murat  from  1808  until 
1815,  Ferdinand,  meanwhile,  reigning  only  in  Sicily, 
under  the  protectorate,  say  rather  the  tyranny,  of  the 
English.  Thus,  from  her  very  infancy,  the  Duchess 
of  Berry  had  known  all  the  trials  and  vicissitudes  of 
politics. 

"Born  in  an  epoch  of  troubles  and  revolutions," 
says  the  eloquent  historian,  M.  Alfred  Nettement, 
"her  first  impressions  were  grave  and  serious.     Her 


CHILDHOOD 


ears  were  accustomed  early  to  the  noises  of  war,  the 
ominous  pealing  of  bells,  the  thunder  of  cannons, 
and  the  clamor  of  the  populace,  as  well  as  to  the 
roaring  of  tempestuous  seas.  Thus  her  childhood 
had  served  an  apprenticeship  which  her  youth  was  to 
find  advantageous.  Later,  when  she  had  to  cross 
the  ocean  and  the  Mediterranean,  when  she  was 
obliged  to  brave  every  danger,  endure  all  fatigues, 
and  lead  the  life  of  battle-fields,  that  vigorous  soul 
which  had  been  tempered  in  her  childhood  came 
anew  to  her  aid,  and  in  danger  she  recognized  the 
familiar  companion  of  her  earliest  years." 

From  her  infancy  the  Duchess  of  Berry  had  given 
promise  of  quick  intelligence  and  a  sympathetic 
character.  The  German  biographer  of.  Queen  Marie 
Caroline,  Helfert,  says  concerning  the  little  Prin- 
cess :  — 

"  Many  hopes  were  entertained  of  her ;  her  consti- 
tution was  good,  she  was  full  of  gaiety,  and  had  a 
broad  mind  and  generous  heart." 

Her  education  was  conducted  with  great  care,  and 
she  was  very  early  taught  to  love  the  arts.  Among 
those  who  instructed  her,  she  praises  especially  in 
her  journal  her  governess,  the  Countess  of  La  Tour, 
and  a  prelate  called  Olivieri :  — 

"I  habitually  received,"  she  says,  "the  tenderest 
care  from  all  my  family.  The  Queen  lavished  con- 
tinual attentions  on  me,  for  which  I  shall  be  eternally 
grateful." 

The  Duchess  of  Berry  was  ten  years  old  when  she 


THE  DUCHESS  OF  BERRY 


first  saw  a  man  who  was  to  be  fatal  to  her, —  the  Duke 
of  Orleans,  Louis  Philippe.  This  was  towards  the 
middle  of  1808.  The  young  Princess  was  with  her 
grandmother,  Queen  Marie  Caroline,  when  she  saw 
King  Ferdinand  enter  suddenly,  looking  perplexed 
and  agitated.  "Here,"  said  he,  holding  an  open 
letter  in  his  hand,  "  is  an  exile  belonging  to  a  great 
family  who  is  hounded  by  misfortune,  for  he  has  just 
lost  his  only  surviving  brother  at  Malta.  He  has 
landed  at  Messina.  Would  it  displease  you  if  I 
were  to  invite  him  to  my  court?" 

"  What  is  his  name  ?  "  asked  the  Queen. 

"The  Duke  of  Orleans,"  replied  the  King. 

At  these  words  the  little  Princess  experienced  a 
keen  emotion;  it  was  as  if  she  liad  foreseen  the 
future.  But  this  painful  impression  soon  passed 
away.  The  Duke  of  Orleans  had  written  to  the 
King:  — 

"  Sire,  the  greater  the  faults  of  my  father  were,  the 
more  am  I  bound  to  prove  that  I  do  not  share  his 
aberrations;  they  have  done  too  much  harm  to  my 
family." 

The  exiled  Prince  received  a  courteous  welcome 
and  magnificent  hospitality  at  the  court  of  Palermo. 
There  he  made  a  conquest  of  one  of  the  King's 
daughters,  Marie  Am^lie,  born  April  26,  1782, 
whom  he  married  at  Palermo,  November  25,  1809. 
The  future  Duchess  of  Berry  and  the  future  Queen 
of  France  were  on  mutually  friendly  terms.  They 
lived  near  each  other  until  July  27,   1814,   when 


CHILDHOOD  9 


Marie  Amdlie  left  Palermo  to  rejoin  her  husband  at 
the  court  of  King  Louis  XVIII. 

At  Palermo,  the  palazzo  Orleans  was  a  centre  of 
liberal  opposition,  as  the  Palais  Royal  was  afterwards 
to  be  at  Paris.  In  his  remarkable  and  consci- 
entious Vie  de  Marie-Amelie,  M.  Trognon  relates 
that  Queen  Marie  Caroline  said  to  her  daughter, 
apropos  of  the  Duke  of  Orleans :  — ■ 

"  Since  I  was  stupid  enough  to  take  him  for  my 
son-in-law,  I  must  put  up  with  him  as  your  husband 
and  the  father  of  your  child  "  (the  Duke  of  Chartres, 
afterwards  Duke  of  Orleans,  born  at  Palermo,  Sep- 
tember 3,  1810).  "But  he  ought  to  be  convinced 
that  legitimate  authority  always  succeeds  in  the  end, 
and  that  it  is  necessary  to  remain  attached  to  it." 

Exasperated  by  the  yoke  of  the  English,  Marie 
Caroline  now  detested  them  as  much  as  she  had 
loved  them  at  the  beginning  of  her  political  career. 
They  inspired  her  with  such  horror  that  she  ended 
by  preferring  Napoleon,  and  in  her  distress  she 
sought  the  aid  of  her  former  persecutor  and  warned 
him  of  the  approaching  defection  of  Murat.  Lord 
Bentinck,  who  had  occupied  Palermo  with  twelve 
thousand  English  soldiers  of  all  arms,  acted  like 
a  veritable  proconsul  in  Sicily.  He  required  the 
departure  of  Marie  Caroline,  and  on  June  15,  1813, 
the  unhappy  Queen  left  like  an  outlaw,  never  to 
return.  The  future  Duchess  of  Berry  loved  her 
grandmother  tenderly,  and  it  was  with  profound 
grief  that  she  saw  her  depart.     She  was  then  four- 


10  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEEEY 

teen,  but  in  spite  of  her  youth  she  understood  how 
cruel  were  the  humiliations  and  the  exile  inflicted 
on  the  energetic  and  unfortunate  sovereign. 

Some  years  later,  in  Paris  under  the  Restoration, 
the  Duchess  of  Berry  was  paying  a  visit  to  her  aunt, 
Marie  Am^lie,  at  the  Palais  Royal.  Perceiving 
Lord  Bentinck,  she  started  violently  and  went  away 
at  once,  without  a  word.  The  next  day,  in  church, 
her  aunt  having  inquired  the  reason  of  her  brusque 
departure,  she  replied :  — 

"  I  could  not  look  on  coolly  while  such  a  cordial 
welcome  was  given  to  a  man  whom  I  consider  -your 
mother's  murderer." 

Queen  Marie  Caroline's  last  days  were  profoundly 
sad.  After  a  perilous  journey  of  more  than  seven 
months  she  reached  Vienna,  where  she  had  asked  an 
asylum  from  the  Emperor  Francis,  who  had  been  her 
son-in-law.  One  of  her  daughters.  Princess  Marie 
Therese  (born  June  6,  1772;  married  September  19, 
1790;  died  April  13,  1807),  was  the  second  wife  of 
this  sovereign,  and  the  mother  of  the  Empress  Marie 
Louise  (hence  the  Duchess  of  Berry  was  the  cousin 
of  the  King  of  Rome).  The  Congress  of  Vienna 
was  sitting,  and  Marie  Caroline  did  not  receive  the 
welcome  she  expected  from  her  former  son-in-law. 
At  this  time  the  Austrian  court  was  still  in  favor  of 
Murat,  and  the  daughter  of  the  great  Empress  Maria 
Theresa  vainly  claimed  the  restitution  of  the  King- 
dom of  Naples.  In  her  affliction,  she  wrote  to  her 
daughter,  the  Duchess  of  Genevois,  afterwards  Queen 
of  Sardinia:  — 


CHILDHOOD  11 


"  Nothing  on  earth  moves  me  any  more ;  my  fate 
was  settled  and  decided  the  day  that  I  was  chased 
like  a  play-actress  and  thrust  out  of  Sicily.  .  .  . 
My  life  is  ended  in  this  world.  ...  I  am  no 
longer  interesting  except  to  a  few  old  women  who 
never  stir  out  of  their  own  doors,  but  who  come  to 
see  the  last  of  the  great  Maria  Theresa's  children. 
The  Prater  is  in  its  lovely  green  and  full  of  flowers ; 
but  nothing  seems  beautiful  to  me  any  longer." 

A  few  days  later  —  during  the  night  of  September 
7-8, 1814  —  the  old  Queen  died  of  a  sudden  attack  of 
apoplexy  in  the  little  chateau  of  Hetzendorf,  beside 
Schonbrunn,  where  her  great-grandson,  the  former 
King  of  Rome,  was  living.  Marie  Caroline  had  been 
a  woman  whose  faults  and  whose  qualities  were  alike 
extraordinary.  Napoleon,  who  once  used  such  vio- 
lent and  insulting  language  respecting  her,  ended  by 
citing  her  as  a  model  worth  imitating  in  his  corre- 
spondence with  King  Joseph.  "That  woman,"  he 
wrote  to  his  brother,  "knew  how  to  think  and  act 
like  a  queen,  while  preserving  her  rights  and  her 
dignity." 

The  Duchess  of  Berry  lamented  her  grandmother 
deeply.  She  says  in  her  journal:  "The  Queen's 
death,  in  1814,  affected  me  keenly.  In  her  I  lost  a 
support,  a  mother,  and  I  still  regret  not  having  been 
able  to  attend  upon  her." 

Eight  months  after  the  death  of  Queen  Marie 
Caroline,  her  husband  recovered  the  Kingdom  of 
Naples.     This  restoration,  far  from  being  sullied  by 


12  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BERRY 

such  excesses  as  those  of  1799,  was  arranged  by  com- 
promise, and  Murat's  generals  were  treated  with  the 
same  benevolence  by  King  Ferdinand  as  those  of 
Napoleon  were  by  Louis  XVIII.  Fortune  smiled  at 
the  same  time  on  the  Bourbons  of  Naples  and  the 
Bourbons  of  France. 


II 


THE  MARRIAGE  BY   PROXY 

THE  Duchess  of  Berry  had  been  a  lovable  and 
pretty  child.  She  became  a  graceful  and  sym- 
pathetic young  girl.  Without  being  'beautiful  she 
was  nevertheless  very  pleasing.  The  Countess  of 
Agoult  (Daniel  Stern)  portrays  her  thus :  "  She  was 
not  regularly  handsome,  her  features  were  not  at  all 
remarkable,  her  glance  was  wavering,  her  lips  thick 
and  almost  always  open.  She  carried  herself  badly, 
and  the  best-disposed  observer  could  not  call  her 
bearing  noble.  But  this  blonde  Neapolitan  had  her 
own  charm,  a  marvellous  splendor  of  coloring,  silky 
fair  hair,  the  loveliest  arms  in  the  world,  and  feet 
which,  in  spite  of  being  pigeon-toed,  were  nice  to 
look  at,  so  small  and  well-made  were  they."  In 
mind  she  was  still  more  charming  than  in  body. 
Engaging  and  benevolent,  kindly  to  every  one,  pious, 
but  not  aggressively  so,  proud  of  her  origin,  yet  as 
polite,  as  amiable,  to  a  poor  man  as  to  a  great  lord, 
easily  amused,  and  always  disposed  to  see  the  good 
side  of  things,  a  southern  nature,  enlightened,  and 
vivified  by  the  brilliant  sun  of  Italy,  she  enjoyed 
mere  living,  and  looked  towards  the  future  with  con- 

13 


14  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BERRY 

fident  and  joyous  eyes.  From  a  political  point  of 
view,  lier  infancy  had  been  a  sort  of  prologue  to  her 
destiny.  She  who  was  to  be  the  victim  of  revolu- 
tions at  every  period  of  her  life,  had  been  condemned 
from  her  cradle  to  a  series  of  portentous  misfortunes. 
But,  far  from  being  affected  by  them,  she  had  always 
felt  persuaded  that  a  brilliant  destiny  was  reserved 
for  her.  Her  romantic  imagination  was  excited  by 
the  recital  of  the  glories  and  the  misfortunes  of  the 
house  of  Bourbon.  As  valiant  as  her  ancestor, 
Henri  IV.,  she  was  to  live  in  an  epoch  as  troublous 
as  that  of  the  Bdarnais,  and,  like  him,  to  preserve  a 
truly  prodigious  ardor,  boldness,  and  gaiety  in  the 
midst  of  the  most  terrible  crises  and  the  greatest 
dangers.  Her  grandfather.  King  Ferdinand,  who 
greatly  preferred  the  society  of  the  lazzaroni  to  that 
of  the  best  born  personages  of  his  kingdom,  and  who 
amused  himself  by  selling  the  produce  of  his  fishing 
expeditions  on  the  docks,  had  accustomed  her  to 
familiarity  with  the  bourgeois^  the  peasants,  and  the 
common  people.  The  etiquette  of  the  Sicilian  court 
did  not  resemble  the  grave  and  gloomy  solemnity  of 
that  of  Spain,  and  there  was  nothing  severe  or  sombre 
about  the  palaces  of  Naples  and  Palermo. 

Nearly  the  whole  existence  of  the  young  Princess 
had  been  passed  in  the  picturesque  and  charming 
island  of  Sicily,  which  rises  from  the  sea  like  a 
basket  of  perfumes  and  flowers.  After  the  begin- 
ning of  1806  she  did  not  return  to  Naples,  but 
always  resided  either  in  Palermo  or  its  environs. 


THE  MARRIAGE  BY  PROXY  15 

She  extremely  liked  the  Sicilian  capital,  that  half- 
Arabian,  half-Italian  city  which  has  so  much  origin- 
ality and  so  much  charm.  She  loved  the  Palazzo 
Heale,  which  was  begun  by  Robert  Guiscard  and 
which  was  at  first  a  fortress.  She  loved  the  Palatine 
chapel  which,  with  its  Arabian  arches,  its  granite 
columns,  its  walls  covered  with  mosaics  on  a  gold 
background,  is  perhaps  the  most  beautiful  chapel  in 
the  world.  She  loved  the  cathedral,  consecrated  to 
Saint  Rosalie,  the  patroness  of  the  Palermitans,  who 
annually  celebrate  her  feast  with  great  piety  and 
splendor. 

The  young  Princess  was  at  Palermo  when  she 
learned  that  the  Duke  of  Berry  had  asked  for  her 
hand.     She  wrote  in  her  journal  on  this  subject :  — ■ 

"It  was  in  January,  1816,  that  my  father  first 
acquainted  me  with  the  projects  of  marriage  formed 
by  the  royal  family  of  France,  and  proposed  to  the 
King,  my  august  grandfather,  who  was  left  absolute 
master  of  his  determinations.  The  same  liberty  was 
accorded  to  me  by  that  tender  father.  I  made  no 
use  of  it  except  to  conform  myself  with  pleasure  and 
confidence  to  whatever  my  dear  parents  should  desire. 
Count  de  Blacas  came  from  Naples  to  Palermo  in 
February.  His  presence,  and  the  conversation,  which 
related  to  the  subject  of  my  marriage  and  my  jour- 
ney, caused  me  an  embarrassment  and  timidity  I  had 
never  experienced  before." 

The  young  Neapolitan  spoke  French  as  well  as 
Italian,  and  from  her  infancy  had  been  accustomed 


16  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BEBBY 

to  consider  France,  tlie  cradle  of  her  ancestors,  as  a 
second  fatherland.  She  was  greatly  pleased  with  the 
marriage  proposed  to  her,  and  it  was  not  without 
pleasurable  emotions  that  she  received  from  the 
Duke  of  Berry  this  really  charming  letter:  — 

"Paris,  18  February,  1816. 

"Madame,  my  Sister  and  Cousin,—  I  have  long 
desired  to  obtain  the  consent  of  the  King  your 
grandfather,  and  the  Prince  your  father,  to  make  a 
request  on  which  hangs  the  happiness  of  my  life; 
but,  before  obtaining  their  approval,  I  come  to  Your 
Royal  Highness  to  entreat  that  you  will  deign  to 
confide  the  happiness  of  your  life  to  me  by  consent- 
ing to  our  union.  I  dare  flatter  myself  that  age, 
experience,  and  long  adversity  have  disciplined  me 
sufficiently  to  render  me  worthy  to  be  your  husband, 
guide,  and  friend.  On  leaving  parents  so  worthy  of 
your  love,  you  will  find  here  a  family  which  will 
remind  you  of  patriarchal  times.  What  can  I  tell 
you  about  the  King,  my  father,  my  brother,  and 
above  all,  about  that  angel,  Madame,  the  Duchess  of 
Angouleme,  that  you  have  not  heard  already,  unless 
it  be  that  their  virtues  and  goodness  are  above  all 
possible  praise?  The  most  intimate  union  prevails 
amongst  us,  and  is  never  disturbed ;  all  my  relatives 
impatiently  desire  that  Your  Royal  Highness  should 
crown  my  wishes  and  consent  to  augment  the  num- 
ber of  the  children  of  our  family.  Deign,  Madame, 
to  yield  to  my  prayers  and  to  hasten  the  moment 


THE  MABRIAGE  BY  PROXY  17 

when  I  can   lay   at  your   feet   the   homage   of  the 
respectful  and  tender  sentiments  with  which  I  am, 
"  Madame,  my  Sister  and  Cousin,  of  Your  Royal 
Highness   the  very  affectionate   brother  and 

cousin,  "Chaeles  Ferdinand." 

After  obtaining  the  approval  of  the  Princess  at 
Palermo,  Count  de  Blacas  returned  to  Naples  and 
laid  before  the  King  a  formal  proposal  which  was 
accepted.  We  read  as  follows  in  the  journal  of  the 
Duchess  of  Berry: — ■ 

"  I  started  for  Naples,  April  2,  1816,  on  the  frigate 
Sirena^  commanded  by  dear  Barone.  The  squadron 
comprised  thirteen  different  vessels  of  war,  all 
under  the  orders  of  Ignazio  Statti.  We  had  stormy 
weather  on  the  3d,  which  caused  us  to  make  good 
time,  but  from  which  we  suffered  greatly.  The  4th 
we  sighted  the  islands  of  Ischia  and  Capri;  but 
the  calm  which  set  in  prevented  us  from  passing 
them  and  from  entering  the  Bay  of  Naples  until 
early  in  the  morning  of  the  6th.  The  weather  was 
superb  and  gratified  my  curiosity  to  see  the  city  of 
Naples  and  its  environs  plainly.  I  was  greatly 
pleased  with  the  enchanting  spectacle  that  met  my 
view.  I  was  much  more  so  to  see  my  uncle  Leopold, 
who  came  on  board  the  frigate  by  eight  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  We  landed  with  him  and  went  straight 
to  the  palace  to  find  His  Majesty,  who  was  still 
somewhat  indisposed.  We  saw  people  all  day  long. 
The  7th  the  weather  was  very  bad,  and  prevented  us 


18  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BERRY 

from  going  out  until  afternoon,  when  we  visited  the 
Portici  palace  and  garden." 

The  Princess,  who  had  but  a  vague  recollection  of 
the  curiosities  of  Naples  and  its  environs,  beheld 
these  marvels  anew  with  extreme  pleasure.  She 
loved  the  arts  and  knew  how  to  appreciate  all  that  is 
beautiful.  Here  are  some  extracts  from  her  jour- 
nal :  — • 

"  The  9th  we  took  a  walk  after  dinner  in  the  Villa 
Reale  public  garden. 

"  The  11th  I  received  the  Easter  sacraments  with  my 
dear  parents.  Afterwards  we  heard  Mass  in  the  royal 
chapel.  After  dinner  we  visited  seven  churches, 
the  crowd  accompanying  us  everywhere.  On  our 
return  we  listened  to  the  sermon  on  the  Passion  by 
P^re  Cal^,  preacher  to  the  King.  The  12th  we  were 
present  at  the  morning  and  evening  offices  in  the 
royal  chapel.  The  morning  of  the  13th,  Count  de 
Blacas  brought  my  father  the  portrait  of  Mgr.  the 
Duke  of  Berry,  to  let  us  see  it  before  presenting  it 
in  due  form.  After  dinner  we  walked  to  the  royal 
residence  of  Capo  di  Monte.  The  14th,  Easter  Sun- 
day, there  was  a  drawing-room  at  the  palace,  and 
after  dinner  a  walk  to  Pausilippo." 

On  the  following  day,  April  15,  1816,  the  mar- 
riage contract  was  signed.  The  third  article  of  it 
was  thus  expressed :  — 

"  His  Majesty  the  King  of  the  Two  Sicilies  gives 
as  dowry  to  the  Most  Serene  Princess  his  grand- 
daughter the  sum  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  thou- 


THE  MARRIAGE  BY  PROXY  19 

sand  Neapolitan  ducats,  or  five  hundi^ed  thousand 
francs,  payable  in  eighteen  months,  which  sum  the 
said  Princess  may  use  and  dispose  of  according  to  the 
laws  and  customs  of  France.  The  said  sum  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  thousand  Neapolitan  ducats,  or 
five  hundred  thousand  francs,  is  independent  of 
another  sum,  likewise  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
thousand  Neapolitan  ducats,  or  two  hundred  thou- 
sand florins,  which  comes  to  her  from  the  dowry  of 
her  mother,  Princess  Marie  Clementine  of  Austria, 
of  whom  she  is  the  sole  and  only  heir,  which  sum,  as 
well  as  the  interest  due  from  S.  M.  the  Emperor  of 
Austria,  not  forming  part  of  the  dowry  of  the  Most 
Serene  spouse,  she  can  use  and  dispose  of  as  her  pri- 
vate property.   .   .   . 

"Article  5.  — In  addition  to  the  said  dowry,  S.  M. 
the  King  of  the  Two  Sicilies  makes  a  present  to  the 
Most  Serene  Princess  Caroline  Ferdinande  Louise, 
of  rings  and  jewels  worth  five  hundred  thousand 
Neapolitan  ducats." 

Let  us  return  to  the  journal  of  the  Princess :  — 
"On  the  16th,  Count  de  Blacas  came  before  his 
dinner  to  present  the  portrait  of  Mgr.  the  Duke  of 
Berry  with  all  the  usual  formalities.  I  was  sensibly 
touched  by  the  nobility  of  his  discourse  and  the  sen- 
timents he  knew  so  well  how  to  express.  Not  being 
able  to  reply  to  him,  I  intend  to  show  him  my  grati- 
tude and  my  sensibility  on  the  first  occasion  I  have 
to  see  him.  From  this  moment  France  becomes 
dearer  to  me,  and  I  promise  myself  to  divide   my 


20  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BEREY 

affections  between  my  own  family  and  that  which  I 
have  the  happiness  to  enter. 

"The  19th  we  started  in  the  morning  to  visit 
Pompeii,  which  I  had  seen  in  my  childhood.  I  had 
not  the  least  recollection  of  it,  so  that  all  I  saw  was 
new  to  me  and  interested  me  infinitely.  .  .  .  Count 
de  Blacas  was  one  of  the  party.  We  left  Pompeii  at 
the  close  of  day.  The  crowd  that  was  there  often 
obliged  us  to  halt.  We  met  as  many  in  passing  the 
Torre  dell'  Annunziata  and  the  Torre  del  Greco. 
Everywhere  we  heard  acclamations  and  cries  of 
'Long  live  the  King! '  which  caused  us  the  greatest 
pleasure. 

"The  22d  we  visited  Pozzuoli,  the  temple  of 
Serapis,  and  we  walked  in  the  environs,  so  rich  in 
mythological  and  historical  souvenirs. 

"  The  24th  I  went  to  confession  and  communion 
before  making  my  full  toilet  to  be  married  in  the 
royal  chapel.  The  entire  court,  the  King's  minis- 
ters and  those  of  the  different  Powers,  the  generals, 
etc.,  were  invited.  The  Cardinal- Archbishop  gave 
me  the  nuptial  benediction.  My  uncle  Leopold 
represented  the  Duke  of  Berry,  in  virtue  of  a  legal 
instrument,  which  was  publicly  read  by  the  Marquis 
of  Circello,  Minister  of  the  King.  There  was  a 
drawing-room  afterwards,  and  in  the  evening  the 
Fondo  theatre,  where  an  allegorical  ballet,  inter- 
spersed with  songs,  and  called  Les  Noces  de  Thetis 
et  de  Pelee^  was  performed.  Everything  terminated 
with  a  transparency  representing  the  King  of  France, 
the  Duke  of  Berry,  and  me." 


Ill 


THE  DEPARTURE  FROM  NAPLES 

THE  moment  of  departure  was  approaching.  The 
Duchess  of  Berry  already  felt  herself  a  French- 
woman, and  experienced  an  attachment  for  the 
Prince  whom  she  did  not  yet  know.  A  wife  before 
having  seen  her  husband,  she  wrote  him  the  follow- 
ing affectionate  and  touching  letter  on  the  very  day 
of  the  marriage  by  proxy :  — 

"  Naples,  April  24,  1816. 
"I  have  just  taken  at  the  altar,  Monseigneur,  a 
solemn  engagement  to  be  your  faithful  and  ten- 
der spouse.  This  dear  title  imposes  duties  on  me 
which  I  most  willingly  commence  to  fulfil  from 
this  moment,  by  assuring  you  of  the  sentiments  my 
heart  has  already  vowed  to  you  for  life;  its  sole 
occupation  shall  be  to  seek  means  of  pleasing  you, 
conciliating  your  friendship,  and  meriting  your  con- 
fidence. Yes,  you  will  have  all  my  affections,  all 
that  is  mine ;  you  will  be  my  guide  and  my  friend ; 
you  will  teach  me  how  to  please  your  august  family; 
you  will  (I  doubt  not)  lessen  the  keen  regret  I  shall 
feel  in  leaving  my  own.     It  is  on  you,  in  a  word, 

21 


22  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BEBBY 

that  I  cast  all  the  care  of  my  conduct  in  order  that  it 
may  be  guided  to  all  that  may  procure  your  happi- 
ness. That  shall  be  my  habitual  study.  I  hope  I 
may  be  successful  in  it,  and  prove  to  you  how  highly 
I  value  the  privilege  of  being  your  companion !  In 
these  sentiments  I  am,  tor  life, 

"  Your  affectionate  spouse, 

"Caroline." 

On  his  side,  the  Duke  of  Berry  was  already  in 
love  with  his  young  wife,  and  wrote  to  her,  the  same 
day,  from  Paris :  — 

"Your  amiable  letter  has  given  me  a  pleasure 
which  I  cannot  express  to  you,  Madame  and  dear 
wife,  since  to-day  we  have  mutually  plighted  our 
faith.  From  this  day  we  are  united  by  the  sacred 
bonds  of  marriage,  bonds  which  I  shall  ever  seek  to 
render  easy  to  you.  You  deign  to  thank  me  for  hav- 
ing chosen  you  as  the  companion  of  my  life !  How 
many  thanks  do  I  not  owe  Your  Royal  Highness  for 
having  acceded  so  promptly  to  the  wishes  of  your 
excellent  parents!  I  feel  how  much  it  must  cost 
you  to  leave  them,  and  to  come,  almost  alone,  into  a 
foreign  country,  though  one  which  will  soon  be  no 
longer  foreign,  in  order  to  unite  yourself  with  a  man 
you  do  not  know.  I  have  composed  your  household 
of  ladies  whose  virtue  and  kindliness  I  am  acquainted 
with,  and  the  King  has  approved  my  choice.  Your 
lady-of-honor,  the  Duchess  of  Reggio,  is  in  despair 
at  not  being  able  to  go  to  meet  you.     Madame  de  La 


THE  BEPAETUEE  FROM  NAPLES  23 

Ferronnays,  your  lady  of  the  bedchamber,  will  be  the 
first  to  have  the  happiness  of  paying  her  court  to 
you;  she  is  a  model  of  virtue  and  the  sweetest  amia- 
bility. I  recommend  her  especially  to  you ;  she  will 
present  your  ladies-in-waiting.  The  Duke  of  Levis, 
your  gentleman-in-waiting,  is  a  man  as  distinguished 
for  his  qualities  as  for  his  talents.  The  Count  of 
Mesnard,  your  first  equeiTy,  is  a  loyal  chevalier  who 
did  not  return  to  France  until  I  did.  In  a  word,  I 
hope  that  when  you  know  them  you  will  find  them 
worthy  of  the  honor  of  being  in  your  service.  How 
impatiently  I  await  the  news  of  your  arrival  in 
France!  How  happy  I  shall  be,  my  dearest  wife, 
when  I  am  able  to  call  you  by  that  sweet  name! 
All  that  I  hear  of  your  qualities,  your  goodness, 
your  intelligence,  and  your  grace,  charms  me  and 
kindles  my  desire  to  see  and  embrace  you  as  I  love 

y^^-  "Charles  FERDmAND." 

All  the  royalists  shared  the  Duke  of  Berry's  joy. 
Even  before  the  contract  was  signed,  the  French 
government  had  announced  an  event  of  so  much 
importance  to  the  dynasty,  by  calling  on  the  Cham- 
bers to  make  suitable  pecuniary  arrangements  for  it. 
This  announcement  was  greeted  by  the  Chamber  of 
Deputies  with  transports  of  enthusiasm.  In  a  lyri- 
cal outburst  M.  de  Marcellus  exclaimed:  "Oh, 
august  race  of  our  kings,  be  thou  blessed!  Illustri- 
ous lily  stalk,  glow  with  renewed  lustre !  May 
flowers  innumerable  embellish  thee !  "     The  Minis- 


24  THE  DUCUESS  OF  BEBEY 

try  had  demanded  for  the  Duke  of  Berry:  1.  An 
annual  endowment  of  one  million,  which  for  the  first 
five  years  should  be  reduced  to  five  hundred  thou- 
sand francs  in  consideration  of  the  heavy  burdens 
France  was  bearing.  2.  One  million  for  the  festiv- 
ities and  other  expenses  of  the  marriage.  The 
Chamber  of  Deputies  granted  still  more.  M.  de 
Castelbajac  having  made  his  report,  it  resolved  that 
the  endowment  should  be  one  million  from  the 
start,  and  that  the  sum  asked  for  the  marriage  ex- 
penses should  be  increased  to  fifteen  hundred  thou- 
sand francs.  The  Chamber  of  Peers  was  enthusiastic 
in  its  approbation;  but  a  letter  from  the  Duke  of 
Richelieu,  president  of  the  council,  while  thanking 
the  Chambers  for  their  votes,  assured  them,  in  the 
name  of  the  Duke  of  Berry,  that  he  had  resolved 
to  apply  what  had  been  added  to  his  endowment 
towards  the  aid  of  the  departments  which  had  suf- 
fered by  the  foreign  invasion. 

The  marriage  by  proxy  had  been  celebrated  at 
Naples,  April  24,  1816.  The  Duchess  of  Berry 
remained  there  twenty  days  longer  before  embarking 
for  France.  Nearly  all  this  time  was  taken  up  in 
excursions  and  festivities,  "brilliant  festivities," 
says  Chateaubriand,  "which  seem  to  be  eternally 
preparing  on  the  shores  of  this  bay,  where  all  that 
meets  the  eye  —  sky,  sea,  plains,  palaces,  ruins — ■ 
reminds  of  present  pleasures  or  past  joys."  April 
25,  the  young  Princess  went  to  Caserta,  the  Ver- 
sailles  of  the  Neapolitan  Bourbons.     She  admired 


THE  DEPAETURE  FROM  NAPLES  25 

the  royal  palace,  the  gardens  with  their  clipped 
hedges,  statues,  fountains,  and  cascades.  We  read 
in  her  journal :  — 

"  The  palace  is  the  grandest  and  most  magnificent 
that  could  be  imagined.  Four  immense  courts  sur- 
rounding the  main  building  show  how  vast  were  the 
ideas  of  its  builder.  King  Charles  III.  After  pass- 
ing through  part  of  the  palace  and  praying  in  the 
chapel,  which  is  modelled  on  that  of  Fontainebleau, 
we  dined,  and  then  drove  out  to  see  the  lake,  which 
is  in  the  midst  of  beautiful  thickets.  From  there 
we  went  to  my  father's  little  castle,  and  then  to 
receive  benediction  in  a  little  church  he  had  estab- 
lished so  as  to  render  it  easy  for  the  country  people 
to  perform  their  religious  duties ;  the  chaplain  made 
a  discourse  inviting  those  present  to  give  thanks  to 
God  for  having  granted  the  return  of  the  King  and 
the  royal  family,  and  the  Te  Deum  was  chanted. 
The  people,  who  assembled  from  all  parts  of  the 
neighborhood,  often  prevented  my  parents  from 
going  forward.  Every  one  showed  the  utmost  pleas- 
ure at  seeing  us,  and  addressed  us  in  the  most  touch- 
ing language." 

May  11,  the  Princess  went  to  visit  La  Favorita, 
one  of  the  royal  pleasure-houses,  which  has  a  beau- 
tiful view  of  the  Sorrento  peninsula.  The  12th  she 
was  present  at  a  comedy  played  by  amateurs  at  the 
residence  of  her  uncle,  the  Prince  of  Salerno.  The 
14th  she  sailed  for  France. 

Let  us  recall  the  persons  who  at  this  time  com- 
posed her  family :  — 


26  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BERBY 

Grrandfather :  The  King  of  the  Two  Sicilies,  Fer- 
dinand I.,  born  January  12,  1751. 

Father :  Francis,  Prince-royal,  Prince  of  Calabria, 
born  August  19,  1777  (he  ascended  the  throne  Janu- 
ary 3,  1825,  and  died  November  8,  1830). 

Step77iot7ier :  Marie  Isabelle,  sister  of  the  King  of 
Spain,  Ferdinand  VII.,  born  July  6,  1789. 

Brothers:  1.  Ferdinand  Charles,  Duke  of  Nolo, 
born  January  12,  1810  (the  future  King  Ferdinand 

n.). 

2.  Charles  Ferdinand,  Prince  of  Capua,  born 
October  10,  1811. 

3.  Leopold  Benjamin,  Count  of  Syracuse,  born 
May  22,  1813. 

Sisters  :  1.  Louise  Charlotte,  born  October  3,  1804 
(in  1819  she  married  the  Infant  of  Spain,  Francis  of 
Paula,  by  whom  she  had  King  Francis  of  Assisi, 
husband  of  Isabella,  Queen  of  Spain).. 

2.  Marie  Cliristine,  born  April  27,  1806  (who  in 
1829  married  Ferdinand  VII.,  King  of  Spain,  and 
became  the  mother  of  Queen  Isabella). 

3.  Marie  Antoinette,  born  December  19,  1814. 
Vnele :  Leopold   John,    Prince   of    Salerno,    born 

July  2,  1790;  married  July  28,  1816,  to  Marie 
Clementine,  Archduchess  of  Austria,  born  March  1, 
1789,  daughter  of  Francis  I.,  Emperor  of  Austria, 
and  sister  of  the  Empress  Marie  Louise. 

Aunts:  Marie  Christine  Am^lie  Th^r^se  (the 
future  Queen  of  Sardinia),  born  April  26,  1782; 
married  November  25,  1809,  to  Louis  Philippe, 
Duke  of  Orleans. 


THE  DEPARTUBE  FROM  NAPLES  27 

All  the  relatives  of  the  Duchess  of  Berry  displayed 
much  affection  for  her,  and  their  good  wishes  accom- 
panied her  on  her  departure. 

The  Duke  of  Narbonne-Pelet,  French  ambassador 
to  Naples,  wrote.  May  14,  1816,  to  the  Duke  of 
Richelieu,  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs :  — 

"S.  A.  R.  Madame  the  Duchess  of  Berry  em- 
barked this  morning  in  very  good  health  and  excel- 
lent weather  on  board  the  Neapolitan  frigate  Sirene, 
which  sailed  for  Marseilles  in  company  with  a  ship 
of  the  line  and  a  corvette.  It  had  been  intended  to 
sail  on  the  11th,  but  a  hard  gale  which  was  blowing 
for  two  or  three  days  delayed  it  until  to-day.  The 
French  schooner  Momus  accompanies  the  squadron, 
and  will  probably  reach  Marseilles  some  hours 
earlier." 

The  Duchess  of  Berry,  on  her  part,  wrote  this  in 
her  journal :  — 

"I  embarked  at  nine  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the 
14th.  The  King,  my  father,  and  my  uncle,  had  the 
kindness  to  accompany  me.  An  indisposition  which 
had  lasted  some  days  prevented  the  hereditary  Prin- 
cess from  going  on  board  the  frigate  Snene^  the  same 
which  brought  us  here.  When  we  reached  it,  the 
crew  saluted  us  with  a  cry  of  'Long  live  the  King,' 
which  they  repeated  nine  times.  The  Ferdinand^ 
carrying  eighty  cannons,  and  the  corvette  Fama^ 
which  accompanied  us,  fired  a  salute  of  twenty-one 
guns.  We  sailed  just  after  nine  o'clock  with  a  light 
wind  from   the   southwest.     At   half-past  ten,   the 


28  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BERRY 

King,  my  father,  and  my  uncle,  left  me,  and  also  the 
French  ambassadors.  My  suite  comprised  the  Prince 
of  San  Nicandro,  the  Countess  of  La  Tour  and  her 
daughter,  the  Count  La  Tour,  and  my  attendants." 
The  young  Princess  had  a  fortunate  passage  across 
that  sea  which,  as  Chateaubriand  remarks,  had  wit- 
nessed the  passage  of  her  ancestress,  Marguerite  of 
Provence,  the  wife  of  Saint  Louis,  returning  from 
the  Holy  Land,  where  she  had  shared  the  misfor- 
tunes of  her  husband  and  her  king.  May  21,  1816, 
after  a  seven-days  voyage,  the  Duchess  of  Berry 
arrived  off  Marseilles. 


IV 


THE  LAZAEETTO   OF    :MAESEILLES 

THE  Moniteur  of  March  25,  1816,  had  published 
the  names  of  the  persons  who  were  to  make  up 
the  househokl  of  the  Duchess  of  Berry.  They  were 
as  folloAvs:  First  ahnoner,  Abb^  de  Bombelle;  lady 
of  honor,  the  Duchess  of  Reggio;  lady  of  the 
bedchamber,  the  Countess  of  La  Ferronnays ;  ladies- 
in-waiting,  the  Viscountess  of  Gontaut,  the  Vis- 
countess of  Bouilld,  the  Countess  of  Hautefort, 
Countess  Charles  de  Bethisy,  the  Countess  of  Lau- 
riston,  the  Countess  of  Gourgues;  gentleman-in- 
waiting,  the  Duke  of  Levis ;  first  equerry,  the  Count 
of  Mesnard;  equerry  commandant,  Marquis  Anjor- 
rant. 

One  of  the  ladies-in-waiting,  the  Viscountess 
(afterwards  Duchess)  of  Gontaut,  writes  as  follows 
in  her  unpublished  Memoirs :  — 

"I  was  summoned  one  day  to  the  Tuileries  by 
Monsieur.  He  kindly  informed  me  that  the  mar- 
riage of  M.  the  Duke  of  Berry  with  the  Princess 
Caroline  of  Naples  had  just  been  arranged,  and  that 
he  was  anxious  to  let  me  know  I  had  been  appointed 
one  of  the  ladies-in-waiting  to  the  Princess,  and  even 

29 


30  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBIIY 

commissioned  to  go  and  receive  her  at  Marseilles.  I 
felt  my  very  heart  moved  with  profound  gratitude  to 
the  royal  family  who  had  deigned  to  choose  me 
among  the  throng  of  applicants  surrounding  them, 
all  converted,  as  people  were  at  the  time,  to  senti- 
ments of  love  and  devotion  for  the  court." 

Madame  de  Gontaut  went  to  bid  farewell  to  the 
King  and  the  Princess  before  her  departure.  She 
adds:  "The  Duchess  of  Angouleme  condescended 
to  explain  to  me  in  detail  the  composition  of  the 
household  of  Madame  the  Duchess  of  Berry,  which 
she  had  provided  should  be  established  on  the  same 
scale  as  her  own :  six  ladies-in-waiting,  of  whom  two 
should  be  on  duty  every  week.  She  told  me  that 
the  Countess  of  Bouill^  had  just  been  appointed  and 
was  to  go  with  me.  I  did  not  know  her.  '  She  is  a 
pretty  American,  married  to  the  best  of  men, '  said 
she ;  '  perhaps  she  will  amuse  you.  But  she  of  whom 
I  especially  wish  to  speak  to  you  is  the  Mardchale 
Oudinot,  Duchess  of  Reggio,  one  of  the  ladies-in- 
waiting.  She  is  charming  in  face,  conduct,  and 
tact;  in  fine,  she  is  gentle,  kindly,  and  attractive; 
I  am  sure  she  will  please  you;  her  appointment  is 
an  excellent  one  which  will  gain  universal  approba- 
tion. I  don't  doubt  that  the  Duchess  of  Berry  will 
know  how  to  appreciate  her.  She  will  start  after 
you  do,  with  another  lady-in-waiting,  Madame  de 
La  Ferronnays,  whom  you  have  known  this  long 
while.  Their  mission  is  the  same  as  yours,  — to  go 
to  Marseilles  and  wait  there  for  the  Princess.     The 


THE  LAZARETTO   OF  MARSEILLES  31 

Countess  of  Hautefort  and  the  Countess  of  Bethisy, 
the  Countess  of  Lauriston  [afterwards  la  Mm-echale]^ 
and  the  Countess  of  Gourgues,  will  be  stationed  at 
intervals  along  the  road  and  follow  the  Princess  to 
Fontainebleau.  There  she  will  be  received  by  the 
King.'" 

Madame  de  Gontaut  started  for  Marseilles  in  the 
same  carriage  with  Madame  de  Bouille.  "As  we 
approached  the  South,'*  she  tells  us,  "enthusiasm 
increased  and  cries  of  'Long  live  the  Duchess  of 
Berry!'  were  heard  on  all  sides.  Madame  de 
Bouill^  was  enchanted,  and  showed  herself  as  much 
as  possible  to  the  public,  saying  with  naive  com- 
placency, '  Let  us  make  them  happy. ' 

"  What  a  host  of  reflections  occurred  to  me  when 
the  King's  servants  who  were  with  us  said  that  the 
carriage  we  occupied  was  that  in  which  Napoleon 
had  returned  from  Waterloo  to  Paris !  I  was  even 
told,  by  way  of  entertaining  me,  that  I  could  find 
the  mysterious  hiding-places  in  which  the  Emperor 
carried  his  despatches,  treasures,  etc.  This  research 
amused  me  during  the  monotony  of  the  journey. 
But,  seeing  one  of  the  principal  springs,  I  had  the 
unfortunate  notion  of  pressing  it,  and  on  the  instant 
a  board  sprang  up  and  carried  me  with  it.  I  found 
myself  lying  on  a  hard,  narrow,  immovable,  quilted 
mattress,  and  I  rolled  about  all  night  on  this  poverty- 
stricken  bed  of  the  great  Emperor,  unable  for  several 
hours  to  find  the  secret  spring  which  could  deliver 
me  from  this  perilous  position,  and  not  daring  to 


32  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BERRY 

call  a  halt  to  the  column  of  travellers  who  were 
with  us. 

"  The  Duke  of  Havr^,  representing  the  King,  and 
accompanied  by  various  officers  of  the  royal  house- 
hold, body-guards,  etc.,  had  started  twelve  hours 
before  us;  in  every  city  he  was  received  with  the 
boisterous  honors  due  to  his  mission.  Discharges 
of  artillery,  bells,  and  speeches  greeted  his  arrival 
and  departure;  everywhere  receptions,  honors,  and 
fatigue. 

"Baron  de  Damas,  who  was  in  command  at  Mar- 
seilles, received  us  with  cordiality  and  politeness; 
so  did  his  mother,  who  assisted  him  very  graciously 
in  doing  the  honors  of  the  city.  Our  joy  at  attain- 
ing the  goal  of  our  journey  was  very  soon  disturbed. 
A  despatch  sent  to  Baron  de  Damas  informed  him 
that  a  sort  of  plague  which  had  broken  out  in  one  of 
the  towns  in  the  Neapolitan  dominions  had  delayed 
the  arrival  of  the  Princess.  As  he  was  reading  it  a 
doleful  expression  came  over  his  face,  caused,  doubt- 
less, by  the  number  of  our  colony ;  I  heard  him  say 
to  his  mother  in  an  undertone:  'How  are  we  to 
amuse  them  ? '  I  could  not  help  laughing.  Some- 
thing had  to  be  done,  and  the  best  way  was  to  turn 
the  thing  into  a  jest,  which  set  us  all  at  our  ease. 
The  noble  and  conciliatory  manners  of  former  days 
of  which  the  Duke  of  Havrd  was  a  model,  and  the 
gracious  ways  of  the  Duchess  of  Reggio,  consoled 
our  hostess :  the  difficulties  vanished.  As  we  were 
received  courteously  and  kindly  by  everybody  in  the 


THE  LAZABETTO  OF  MARSEILLES  33 

city  and  neighborhood,  this  dreaded  time  passed  very 
quickly." 

The  sanitary  committee  had  resolved  that  the 
Princess  and  her  Neapolitan  suite  should  be  quaran- 
tined for  ten  days  before  entering  Marseilles,  and 
this  decision  had  been  made  known  to  them  at 
Naples  before  they  sailed. 

May  21,  1816,  the  frigate  with  the  Duchess  of 
Berry  on  board  arrived  off  Marseilles  and  was 
saluted  by  a  hundred  discharges  of  artillery  from  the 
fort.  In  an  instant  the  roadstead  was  covered  with 
small  craft  adorned  with  flowers  and  white  flags, 
but  they  were  not  allowed  to  cross  the  line  pre- 
scribed by  the  quarantine  regulations. 

"  We  tried  to  make  out  the  Princess  from  a  dis- 
tance," says  Madame  de  Gontaut  in  her  unpublished 
Memoirs.  "  She  saw  us ;  we  knew  that  by  her  kindly 
gestures.  We  followed  her  with  eyes  and  hearts 
until  she  entered  the  lazaretto.  When  we  came 
back  to  the  prefecture,  we  looked  for  Madame  de  La 
Ferronnays,  whom  we  had  not  been  able  to  find;  to 
our  astonishment,  we  learned  that  as  soon  as  Ma- 
dame's  arrival  had  been  signalled,  she  had  started 
all  alone  in  order  to  shut  herself  up  in  the  quaran- 
tine hospital.  The  Duke  of  Havr^  and  the  Duchess 
of  Reggio  were  ignorant  of  this  and  seemed  sur- 
prised, but  expressed  no  opinion  on  the  subject,  nor 
did  I  ask  any  questions. 

"After  Madame's  arrival  at  the  lazaretto  she  sent 
us  word  to  come  there ;  we  saw  her  thi-ough  a  grat- 


34  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BERET 

ing  in  a  little  parlor  where  we  presented  ourselves 
every  day.  We  thought  Madame  gracious,  agree- 
able, good,  kindly,  and  gay;  in  a  word,  she  charmed 
us.  The  remarkable  gentleness  of  the  Duchess  of 
Reggio  pleased  her  at  once.  Madame  de  Bouille 
surprised  her.  Madame  had  learned  from  the  Duke 
of  Havr(^  the  sacrifice  I  had  made  in  leaving  my 
children  to  come  to  her,  and  she  was  always  talking 
to  me  about  it.  Wishing  to  know  what  interested 
each  of  those  who  were  about  to  be  in  attendance  on 
her,  she  induced  us  to  talk  about  ourselves,  and, 
with  a  true  princely  memory,  forgot  nothing,  which 
we  thought  very  amiable.  We  noticed  that  Madame 
de  La  Ferronnays  was  in  company  with  Madame  de 
La  Tour  and  all  those  who  had  come  from  Naples, 
and  thence  concluded,  though  without  being  cer- 
tain of  it,  that  being  established  at  the  quarantine 
hospital,  she  must  needs  remain  there  as  long  as 
Madame." 

In  thus  enclosing  herself  in  the  lazaretto,  the 
lady-in-waiting  had  outstepped  her  instructions,  and 
thereby  displeased  the  King.  On  this  head  Madame 
de  Gontaut  says :  — 

"Madame  de  La  Ferronnays's  intention  was  to  seek 
a  natural  occasion  to  acquaint  the  Princess  with  the 
noble  sentiments,  the  wit,  and  the  good  heart  of 
Monseigneur,  and  thus  teach  her  to  love  him  in 
advance.  Her  zeal  led  her  astray ;  she  did  not  con- 
sider how  improper  this  proceeding  would  seem  to 
the  Duchess  of  lleggio  and  Monseigneur,  whom  she 


THE  LAZARETTO  OF  MARSEILLES  35 

ought  to  have  consulted.  It  was  not  a  rash  or 
impulsive  action;  afterwards,  being  timid  in  charac- 
ter, she  did  nothing  to  repair  what  Marshal  Oudinot, 
Duke  of  Reggio,  took  for  an  insult  and  complained 
of  to  the  King." 

The  Duchess  of  Berry  received  the  following  letter 
from  her  husband  on  reaching  the  hospital:  — 

"  Paris,  May  10,  1816. 

"  I  profit,  Madame,  by  the  departure  of  the  Duchess 
of  Reggio,  to  tell  you  how  deeply  your  second  letter 
has  touched  me ;  that  letter  which  you  wrote  imme- 
diately after  the  ceremony  by  which  you  confided 
your  destiny  to  me.  I  have  your  happiness  in  charge, 
and  it  shall  be  the  sweet  and  constant  occupation  of 
my  life.  I  have  seen  with  regret  the  delay  on  your 
departure  from  Naples;  the  quarantine  you  will 
necessarily  submit  to,  although  shortened  as  much  as 
possible,  compels  me  to  conclude  that  I  shall  not  have 
the  happiness  of  seeing  you  until  early  next  month. 
How  sorry  I  am  not  to  be  able  to  go  to  Naples  to 
meet  you!  But  we  must  conform  to  the  wishes  of 
our  parents,  and,  as  the  first  of  subjects,  we  owe 
them  the  example  of  obedience.  All  France  awaits 
you  with  the  keenest  impatience,  and  I  more  than 
any  one  else.  I  recommend  to  you  the  Duchess  of 
Reggio,  who,  in  spite  of  her  delicate  health,  was  bent 
on  going.  She  thinks  herself  very  happy  to  be  able 
to  begin  her  duties  near  you. 

"Adieu,  Madame;   I  am  impatient  to  receive   a 


36  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BERRY 

letter  from  Your  Royal  Highness  dated  in  France. 
The  wind,  which  is  blowing   violently,  makes   me 

''Charles  Ferdinand." 

So  long  as  the  Duchess  of  Berry  was  in  the  laza- 
retto of  Marseilles,  the  city  was  hung  in  the  daytime 
with  flags,  festoons,  and  flowers,  and  in  the  evenings 
the  illuminations  which  blazed  until  midnight  con- 
tinued to  show  the  Princess  what  enthusiasm  was 
kindled  by  her  presence.  Amusements  were  con- 
trived which  should  make  the  delay  imposed  by  the 
quarantine  regulations  seem  shorter  to  her.  In  the 
evening  of  May  23  she  had  a  sail  in  a  superb  yawl 
placed  at  her  disposal  by  Admiral  Missiess3\  This 
yawl  was  speedily  surrounded  by  a  multitude  of 
small  boats  crowded  with  people  anxious  to  see  how 
the  young  Princess  looked.  The  shore,  from  the 
lazaretto  to  the  end  of  the  esplanade  of  La  Tourette, 
was  thronged  with  innumerable  and  clamorously  en- 
thusiastic spectators. 

On  arriving  at  the  entrance  of  the  harbor,  the 
Duchess  of  Berry's  yawl  made  its  way  with  difficulty 
through  the  crowd  of  boats  awaiting  her  at  this  point. 
The  health  officers  thereupon  concluded  that  if  they 
carefully  surrounded  the  yawl  and  prevented  it 
from  holding  communication  with  any  other  vessel, 
there  would  be  nothing  hazardous  in  allowing  it  to 
enter  the  port.  This  was  done  amid  shouts  from  the 
crews  of  every  boat,  and  an  immense  crowd  that  had 
rapidly  assembled  on  the  wharves.  The  Princess 
stood  up  in  the  stern  of  the  yawl,  where  every  one 


THE  LAZARETTO   OF  MABSEILLES  37 

could  see  her,  and  affectionately  saluted  the  enthu- 
siastic people.  The  yawl  came  close  to  the  Canne- 
bi^re  wharf  and  then  turned  slowly,  to  regain  first 
the  entrance  of  the  harbor,  and  then  the  quarantine 
hospital.  During  this  sail,  the  Duchess  of  Berry 
wore  a  robe  of  rose -colored  levantine,  cut  heart- 
shaped  and  trimmed  with  tulle.  A  little  striped 
cashmere  shawl  was  thrown  negligently  around  her 
shoulders ;  a  large  white  straw  hat  trimmed  with  a 
wreath  of  lilies  covered  her  beautiful  hair,  and  was 
tied  with  a  ribbon  of  the  same  color.  Leaning 
against  the  gallery  which  separated  her  from  the 
rowers,  the  Princess  looked  at  the  crowd  with  emo- 
tion. "Ah!  "  said  she,  "perhaps  it  is  not  very  easy 
for  me  to  shed  tears,  but  to-day  I  must  let  them 
flow." 

In  the  evening  of  May  25,  a  concert  was  given  in 
front  of  the  lazaretto  by  the  orchestra  of  the  Grand 
Theatre.  The  next  day  she  wrote  as  follows  to  her 
husband :  — 

"From  the  Lazaretto  of  Marseilles,  May  26,  1816. 

"Your  kind  letters,  Monseigneur,  have  already 
accustomed  me  to  your  interest  in  me.  I  owe  it  to 
Your  Royal  Highness  to  inform  you  with  the  confi- 
dence which  you  inspire,  of  all  that  I  am  doing  here, 
and  first  of  all  concerning  my  health,  which  is  very 
good.  I  rise  rather  late,  because  I  like  to  sleep  in 
the  morning ;  hence  I  do  not  hear  Mass  until  between 
nine  and  ten  o'clock.  The  good  Duke  of  Havrd 
takes   the   trouble  to  come  a  great  distance  to  be 


38  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BERRY 

present  at  it,  and  so  do  the  prefect,  M.  de  Ville- 
neuvo-Bargemont,  M.  de  Montgrand,  the  mayor,  and 
the  health  officers  whenever  their  public  duties  per- 
mit. So  they  see  me  at  the  very  respectful  distance 
imposed  by  the  quarantine  regulations.  Then  I  go 
back  to  my  own  apartments  until  dinner  time,  after 
which  I  profit  by  the  excellent  society  of  Madame  de 
La  Ferronnays ;  it  is  doubtless  to  her  attachment  to 
Monseigneur  that  I  owe  such  a  touching  proof  of  her 
devotion  in  coming  to  shut  herself  up  here  with  me. 
I  appreciate  it  greatly,  as  also  the  Duchess  of  Reggio's 
request  to  do  the  same.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  see- 
ing her  in  the  parlor  with  Madames  de  Gontaut,  de 
Bouill^,  de  L^vis,  de  Mesnard,  and  all  those  pre- 
sented to  me  by  the  Duke  of  Havr^ ;  that  is  my  occu- 
pation after  dinner,  before  a  promenade,  or  a  fishing- 
excursion,  pleasures  which  the  health  officers  have 
twice  procured  for  me." 

In  the  same  letter  the  Princess  speaks  thus  of  the 
excursion  of  May  23:  — 

"  Last  Thursday  I  had  a  delightful  sail  in  a  yawl 
which  the  commandant  of  the  marine  sent  for  from 
Toulon ;  they  let  us  enter  the  harbor,  and  as  it  seems 
that  the  good  people  of  Marseilles  were  very  pleased 
to  have  me  find  a  way  of  showing  myself,  I  have 
asked  to  have  the  excursion  repeated  to-day,  if  the 
weather  permits.  They  have  had  musical  perform- 
ances for  me  several  times ;  in  a  word,  Monseigneur, 
nothing  has  been  omitted  which  could  give  me 
pleasure." 


THE  LAZARETTO   OF  MARSEILLES  39 

The  young  Princess  thus  terminated  her  pleasant 
epistle :  — 

"I  am  very  grateful,  I  assure  you,  and  I  should 
like  to  show  it  as  I  feel  it;  but  I  cannot  overcome 
my  timidity  all  of  a  sudden.  My  age  and  the  few 
opportunities  I  have  had  of  going  out  ought  to  excuse 
me  to  those  who  know  these  reasons ;  others  will  per- 
haps judge  me  less  indulgently.  That  will  not 
trouble  me  except  on  account  of  Your  Royal  High- 
ness, to  whom  I  should  like  to  give  all  kinds  of  satis- 
faction. They  are  to  show  me  Toulon,  and  I  shall 
enjoy  this  pleasure  all  the  more  because  it  will  not 
entail  a  dela}^,  but  only  occupy  the  days  of  grace 
accorded  me  by  the  health  commissioners;  the 
arrangement  was  made  by  the  excellent  Duke  of 
Havr^.  I  am  not  writing  to-day  to  the  King  our 
uncle  nor  to  your  father,  lest  I  should  weary  them ; 
but  kindly  interpret  my  sentiments  of  respect  and 
attachment  for  them,  as  well  as  my  friendship  to  the 
Duke  and  Duchess  of  Angouleme.  I  am  longing  to 
make  the  acquaintance  of  a  family  already  so  dear  to 
me.  You  will  show  me  how  to  please  them,  Mon- 
seigneur;  you  will  tell  me  very  frankly  all  I  ought 
to  do  to  accomplish  that,  and  above  all  how  to  merit 
your  affection.  "Caeoline." 

On  the  same  day  on  which  the  Princess  wrote  this 
letter  to  her  husband  from  the  lazaretto  of  Marseilles, 
the  Prince  wrote  to  her  from  Paris :  — 

"  I  cannot  express  to  you,  Madame,  how  happy  I 


40  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BERBY 

am  to  hear  of  your  arrival  at  Marseilles.  I  would 
gladly  have  shortened  the  tiresome  quarantine  of 
Your  Royal  Highness,  and  fear  you  will  find  the 
time  very  long.  You  have  already  gained  the  hearts 
of  those  who  have  only  caught  a  glimpse  of  you. 
You  are  already  so  much  loved  in  France !  People 
greatly  desire  to  see  you!  When  I  go  out  nowa- 
days, they  no  longer  cry,  'Long  live  the  Duke  of 
Berry! '  but  what  pleases  me  a  great  deal  more, 
'Long  live  the  Duchess  of  Berry!  Long  live  the 
Princess  Caroline ! ' 

"  I  should  like,  Madame,  to  forestall  all  the  wishes 
of  Your  Royal  Highness,  and  to  know  what  would 
please  you.  Here  you  will  have  a  charming  resi- 
dence which  the  whole  family  occupies  itself  in 
arranging.  You  like  to  ride ;  I  will  find  very  steady 
horses  for  you.  I  know  that  you  are  afraid  of  noth- 
ing ;  but,  for  my  part,  I  am  afraid  for  you.  Speaking 
of  courage,  you  were  in  great  danger  at  sea,  near 
that  villainous  island  of  Elba,  whence  all  our  woes 
proceeded  last  year.  That  made  me  tremble ;  but  I 
liked  to  hear  that  you  had  not  felt  the  slightest  fear. 
The  blood  of  Henri  IV.  and  Louis  XIV.  was  not 
untrue  to  itself." 

The  Duke  of  Berry  terminated  his  affectionate 
letter  by  these  lines  full  of  tenderness :  — 

"  Adieu,  Madame  and  dearest  friend,  my  good  and 
amiable  wife ;  while  awaiting  June  15,  which  is  still 
so  far  off,  I  repeat  that  I  love  you,  and  that  I  will  do 
all  that  lies  in  me  to  make  you  happy. 

"Charles  Ferdinand." 


THE  LAZARETTO   OF  MARSEILLES  41 

While  the  Duke  of  Berry  was  wholly  wrapt  in  his 
ideas  of  conjugal  love  and  domestic  happiness,  the 
gay,  smiling,  and  high-spirited  young  Princess  was 
thrilling  with  joy  and  hope.  The  hospital,  an  abode 
ordinarily  so  gloomy,  took  on  for  her  all  the  illu- 
sions and  cbeams  of  a  southern  imagination.  Mar- 
seilles seemed  like  a  splendid  scene,  whose  distance 
even  increased  its  enchantment.  She  made  her  for- 
mal entry  into  the  city  on  May  30. 


V 

ENTERING   MARSEILLES 

MARSEILLES  is  in  holiday  attire  from  day- 
break on  May  30,  1816.  Never  has  the  Pho- 
cean  city  presented  a  more  grandiose  appearance. 
The  sky,  whose  azure  rivals  that  of  the  sea,  is  illu- 
mined by  a  splendid  sun  whose  golden  reflections 
make  the  waves  sparkle  like  diamonds.  The  gar- 
dens of  numberless  hastides,  as  the  pleasure  houses 
vsrhich  surround  the  city  with  a  belt  of  foliage  are 
called,  are  filled  with  orange,  citron,  and  myrtle 
trees.  It  is  a  festival  of  springtime,  light,  and 
flowers.  When  the  people  of  Southern  France  set 
out  to  be  enthusiastic,  their  enthusiasm  becomes  a 
sort  of  madness.  They  are  intoxicated  with  noise, 
shouting,  and  racket  of  all  sorts.  Do  you  see  the 
windows  adorned  with  women,  flags,  and  garlands, 
the  National  Guards  and  troops  of  the  line  drawn  up 
in  double  rows  on  the  wharves  and  in  the  streets, 
the  flat  roofs  crowded  with  innumerable  spectators  ? 
Do  you  hear  the  bells  ringing,  the  cannon  roaring, 
the  vivas  splitting  the  air?  Do  you  see  the  magnif- 
icent roadstead  Avhere  whole  fleets  ride  at  anchor,  the 
hill  where  rises  the  poetic  chapel  of  Notre  Dame  de 

42 


ENTERING  MARSEILLES  43 

la  Garde,  patroness  of  sailors,  the  mountains  on  the 
horizon  which  frame  in  the  magical  picture  ?  What 
a  display,  what  a  spectacle!  Truly  it  is  fairy-like, 
enchanting,  dazzling. 

It  is  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  Duchess 
of  Berry,  coming  out  of  the  lazaretto,  embarks  on  a 
boat  belonging  to  the  royal  marine  commanded  by 
M.  de  Damas,  captain  of  a  ship  of  the  line,  for  the 
Place  de  rH6tel  de  Ville,  where  she  is  to  land.  On 
entering  the  port,  she  is  saluted  by  thirty-six  guns 
from  the  forts  and  the  King's  vessels.  Every  craft 
in  the  harbor  is  hung  with  flags.  As  she  lands,  one 
hundred  and  fifty  National  Guards  and  as  many  of 
the  Royal  Guard  form  a  double  line.  The  troops 
present  arms.  The  flags  are  lowered,  the  officers 
bow,  and  the  drums  beat  a  salute.  A  detachment 
of  Sicilian  troops  escort  the  Princess  to  the  H6tel 
de  Ville,  where  the  ceremony  of  delivery  is  to  take 
place. 

The  same  ceremonial  is  observed  as  had  been  fol- 
lowed on  May  6,  1770,  for  the  Dauphiness,  Marie 
Antoinette,  in  the  larger  island  in  the  Rhine,  near 
Strasbourg,  and  on  March  16,  1810,  for  the  Empress 
Marie  Louise  at  Braunau.  Conformably  to  diplo- 
matic usage,  the  H6tel  de  Ville  has  been  declared 
neutral  ground  by  special  act.  The  apartments  on 
the  right  of  the  principal  hall  have  been  arranged 
for  the  reception  of  the  Princess,  her  Neapolitan 
household,  and  the  Prince  of  San  Nicandro,  ambas- 
sador of  her  grandfather,  the  King  of  the  Two  Sici- 


44  TEE  DUCHESS  OF  BERRY 

lies.  On  this  side  the  Neapolitan  colors  are  raised. 
The  apartments  on  the  left  remain  the  property  of 
the  King  of  France.  Here  are  stationed  the  Duke 
of  Havrd,  ambassador  of  Louis  XVIII. ;  the  Duchess 
of  Reggio,  lady  of  honor  to  the  Duchess  of  Berry; 
the  Countess  of  La  Ferronnays,  lady  of  the  bedcham- 
ber; the  Countess  of  Bouill^  and  the  Viscountess  of 
Gontaut,  ladies-in-waiting ;  the  Duke  of  L^vis,  gen- 
tleman-in-waiting; and  the  Count  of  Mesnard,  first 
equerry.  The  Sicilian  body-guards  draw  up  in  line 
in  the  great  hall,  beneath  their  national  standard. 
The  French  body-guards  do  the  same,  on  the  opposite 
side.  In  the  middle  of  the  hall  stands  a  table 
covered  with  green  velvet  fringed  with  gold.  Here 
the  delivery  is  to  be  effected  according  to  the  proto- 
col of  royal  marriages. 

The  Princess  comes  forward  through  the  great  hall 
and  sits  down  at  the  middle  of  the  table,  on  the  Nea- 
politan side,  with  the  Prince  of  San  Nicandro  on  her 
right,  and  behind  her  the  Countess  of  La  Tour,  her 
lady  of  honor,  as  well  as  the  Prince  of  Ruffo-Scilla 
and  General  de  La  Tour,  both  of  whom  were  wit- 
nesses of  the  marriage  by  proxy  at  Naples.  On  the 
other  side  of  the  table  the  French  household  remain 
standing.  After  the  reading  of  the  official  docu- 
ments, and  an  exchange  of  speeches,  thirty-six  dis- 
charges of  artillery  announce  that  the  delivery  has 
been  effected.  The  Prince  of  San  Nicandro  has  just 
presented  the  Princess  to  the  Duke  of  Havr^,  repre- 
sentative of  Louis  XVIII.     She  has  said  farewell  to 


ENTERING  MARSEILLES  45 

the  members  of  her  Neapolitan  household,  who  fling 
themselves  on  their  knees,  weeping  as  they  kiss  her 
hands.  Then  she  crosses  over  to  the  other  side  of 
the  table.  She  is  a  Frenchwoman  now.  Her  new 
lady  of  honor,  the  Duchess  of  Reggio,  comes  forward. 
The  Princess  embraces  her.  Then  the  Duchess  pre- 
sents the  Countess  of  La  Ferronnays,  the  Countess 
of  Bouilld,  the  Viscountess  of  Gontaut,  the  Duke  of 
Levis,  the  Count  of  Mesnard ;  and  the  Countess  of  La 
Ferronnays,  in  her  capacity  as  lady  of  the  bedcham- 
ber, offers  her  the  trousseau  and  the  corbeille,  pre- 
sented by  the  King.  Afterwards  she  enters  a  cham- 
ber, where,  according  to  usage,  she  lays  aside  her 
Neapolitan  garments  for  others  exclusively  French. 
This  change  of  dress  is  symbolical  of  the  change  of 
country.  It  is  a  farewell  to  the  past,  a  greeting  to 
the  future.  On  one  hand  regret,  on  the  other  hope. 
One  might  apply  to  the  Princess,  who  thus  begins  a 
new  existence,  Victor  Hugo's  famous  line :  — 

"  Depart  with  a  tear,  enter  -with  a  smile." 

Resplendent  in  her  French  toilet,  the  Duchess  of 
Berry  goes  down  into  the  Place  de  I'Hotel  de  Ville, 
where  she  receives  the  compliments  of  General 
Baron  de  Damas,  commander  of  the  8th  Military 
division,  and  of  the  Prefect  of  the  Bouches  on  Rh6ne 
department.  She  re-embarks  afterward  in  order  ta 
make  a  formal  entry  at  Monsieur's  quay,  in  front  of 
the  Cannebiere.  This  time  she  does  not  take  a  boat 
belonging  to  the  royal  marine,  but  a  gilded  long- 


46  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BEBBT 

boat  belonging  to  the  Marseilles  merchant  service, 
which  is  manned  by  twenty-four  oarsmen  dressed  in 
white  satin,  with  blue  and  gold  scarfs.  Sheltered 
by  the  royal  standard  bearing  the  arms  of  France  and 
Navarre,  and  seated  beneath  a  crimson  velvet  canopy 
surmounted  by  a  crown  of  colossal  proportions,  the 
young  Princess  advances  through  a  forest  of  masts 
draped  with  greenery  and  pennants.  One  might 
think  her  the  Queen  of  the  Mediterranean.  She 
lands  on  Monsieur's  qua}-.  The  mayor  pays  his 
homage.  The  troops  are  in  battle  array.  Again  a 
salvo  of  thirty-six  guns  is  fired,  and  all  the  church- 
bells  ring.  The  Princess  goes  by  way  of  the  Canne- 
bi^re  and  the  Cours  to  the  church  of  Saint  Martin, 
where  the  clergy  offer  her  holy  water  and  conduct 
her  processionally  into  the  sanctuary,  where  she 
hears  Mass  and  a  Te  Deum.  Then  she  goes  to  her 
palace,  where  thirty  young  girls  salute  her  and 
offer  flowers.  She  dines  alone  in  grand  state. 
After  dinner  she  goes  to  the  theatre,  where  her  pres- 
ence calls  forth  great  applause.  The  whole  city  is 
illuminated. 

Enjoy  your  triumph,  Madame.  Look  well  at 
these  festive  shores  where  a  magnificent  reception 
greets  you,  where  everybody  swears  devotion  and 
fidelity,  where  you  make  your  appearance  like  a 
queen,  almost  like  a  divinity.  You  will  return  to 
them  again  in  less  than  sixteen  years.  You  Avill 
return,  but  in  what  different  attire ! 

A  proscript,  when  it  becomes  a  question  how  you 


ENTERING  MARSEILLES  47 

shall  vindicate  the  rights  of  a  son  despoiled  of  his 
inheritance,  you  will  say  to  yourself:  "I  must 
begin  on  the  shores  of  Provence.  Can  Marseilles, 
which  gave  me  such  a  brilliant  reception,  fail  to 
recognize  me?"  But  this  time  you  will  find  no 
triumphal  arches ;  your  road  will  not  be  strewn  with 
flowers.  You  will  be  obliged  to  hide  in  an  obscure 
house  in  the  suburbs,  awaiting  with  feverish  impa- 
tience through  a  cruelly  long  night  the  pretended 
movement  in  your  favor.  In  the  morning  you  will 
learn  that  this  movement  has  wretchedly  miscarried. 
And  in  your  distress  you  will  say:  — 

"  Alas !  where  are  they  who  made  me  such  splendid 
promises,  and  shouted  so  for  me?  I  am  sad,  I  am 
alone,  I  am  deserted,  and  I  shall  soon  have  no  place 
to  lay  my  head." 

And  then  you  will  begin  that  campaign  so  full  of 
danger,  so  full  of  anguish,  which  will  end  by  the 
treachery  of  a  Judas  and  the  captivity  of  Blaye. 
How  the  bells,  how  the  trumpets,  how  the  shouts 
resound  to-day !  Why  think  of  the  future  ?  Young 
and  brilliant  Princess,  be  happy  while  you  may. 


VI 


FEOM  MARSEILLES   TO    FONTAINEBLEAU 

BEFORE  leaving  Marseilles  finally,  the  Duchess 
of  Berry  was  to  make  a  short  excursion  to 
Toulon.  Starting  from  Marseilles,  in  the  morning 
of  May  31,  1816,  she  returned  in  the  evening  of  the 
following  day.  Compliments  followed  her  as  far 
as  the  limits  of  the  department  of  the  Var,  and 
triumphal  arches  of  foliage  spanned  the  road  at 
intervals.  On  reaching  Toulon  during  the  day,  the 
young  Princess  found  all  the  streets  hung  with  flags 
and  all  the  houses  decked  with  garlands.  The  peo- 
ple took  the  horses  from  her  carriage  and  drew  it 
themselves.  In  the  evening  there  were  fireworks. 
The  next  morning  at  eight  o'clock  she  reviewed 
the  National  Guard,  and  then  took  a  boat  to  the 
Royal  Louis,  a  man-of-war,  where  Admiral  Missiessy 
gave  her  a  breakfast  and  afterwards  entertained  her 
with  a  mimic  naval  combat.  On  returning  to  Mar- 
seilles the  Princess  wrote  this  letter  to  her  husband, 
June  2 :  — 

"  What  a  pleasure  for  me,  Monseigneur,  to  receive 
your  most  amiable  letters,  written  five  days  ago,  but 
written  far  too  rapidly !     Permit  me  to  make  a  tiny 
48 


FROM  MARSEILLES   TO  FONTAINEBLEAU       49 

reproach  to  Your  Royal  Highness.  You  will  excuse 
me,  because  you  assure  me  that  you  wish  to  give  me 
all  sorts  of  pleasure,  and  yet  you  delay  that  I  have 
in  reading  you  by  the  study  I  am  obliged  to  give 
your  writing.  Don't  go  to  thinking  me  hard  to 
please  and  a  scold  after  this. 

"Last  evening  I  came  back  from  Toulon,  where 
every  instant  was  employed  in  receiving  homage  and 
festivities  by  land  and  sea.  The  whole  city  was 
decorated  with  emblems  and  allegorical  inscriptions. 
Impossible  to  describe  the  enthusiasm  of  these  good 
Proven9aux ;  they  spoil  me ;  they  move  my  heart  by 
their  repeated  expressions  of  love  for  the  King  and 
all  his  family.  At  the  same  time,  they  have  the  tact 
to  huzza  also  for  my  Neapolitan  relatives.  Is  not 
that  charming?  All  the  authorities  are  excellent 
according  to  common  report ;  it  is  certainly  they  who 
encourage  these  good  sentiments.  I  have  had  the- 
pleasure  of  seeing  that  excellent  Rousse  of  Toulon, 
the  only  person  who  caused  Louis  XVII.  to  be  recog^ 
nized,  and  who  by  an  entire  and  disinterested  devo- 
tion, continues  to  be  useful  to  his  country  and  his 
King. 

"I  was  taken  through  the  arsenals.  The  land 
arsenal,  which  was  not  in  existence  four  months 
ago,  is  now  in  a  condition  to  arm  more  than  thirty 
thousand  men.  This  is  owing  to  the  indefatigable 
activity  of  the  colonel  in  charge,  whose  name  is 
Laferriere.  This  little  journey  has  interested  me  in 
every   way.     Nowhere,    I   think,    could   one   get   a 


60  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BERRY 

juster  idea  of  the  resources  and  capabilities  of 
France  than  by  visiting  this  fine  harbor.  If  it  pro- 
duces this  effect  on  me,  who  understand  nothing 
about  it,  what  must  it  produce  on  better  instructed 
persons  ?  In  thirteen  days,  Monseigneur,  I  shall  see 
you,  and  be  able  to  judge  for  myself  all  that  is  told 
me  of  the  goodness  of  your  heart  and  mind,  and  to 
repeat  to  you  that  I  am  for  life  your  faithful  and 
affectionate  "  Caroline.  " 

The  journey  of  the  Princess  was  a  continual  ova- 
tion all  the  way  from  Marseilles  to  Fontainebleau, 
where  it  had  been  settled  that  the  first  interview  of 
the  married  pair  should  take  place  in  the  forest  on 
June  15.  The  Moniteur  of  April  29,  1816,  had  pub- 
lished the  following  note :  — 

"  S.  A.  R.  the  Duchess  of  Berry  will  be  received 
on  her  journey  through  France  with  the  same  honors 
accorded  to  the  Countess  of  Provence  and  the  Coun- 
tess of  Artois.  Each  prefect  will  accompany  her  to 
the  limits  of  his  department,  where  he  will  be 
relieved  by  the  prefect  of  the  next  one.  At  the 
entrance  of  each  city  she  will  be  received  by  the 
mayors  and  deputies.  The  guards  and  troops  of 
the  line  will  be  under  arms.  If  the  Princess  takes 
up  her  residence  at  the  archbishopric  or  bishopric,  she 
will  be  received  by  the  archbishop  or  bishop  as  she 
alights  from  the  carriage,  and,  if  she  enters  a  church, 
she  will  be  received  there  by  the  clergy  with  the 
archbishop  or  bishop  at  their  head.     During  the  stay 


FROM  MARSEILLES   TO  FONTAINEBLEAU       51 

of  tlie  Princess  in  each  city,  the  master  of  cere- 
monies will  present  the  clergy  and  the  authorities 
to  her." 

This  ceremonial  was  observed  in  all  its  details. 
The  first  city  in  which  the  Princess  made  a  halt  was 
the  old  parliamentary  town  of  Aix.  She  was  pres- 
ent at  the  curious  annual  procession  founded  by 
King  Ren^,  in  1448.  The  Duchess  of  Gontaut 
gives  the  following  description  of  it :  — 

"This  festival  was  intended  to  represent  the 
triumph  of  the  Christian  religion  over  idolatry,  by 
means  of  allegorical  personages  and  heathen  gods, 
who  are  driven  back  to  hell  by  the  presence  of  the 
Saviour.  At  the  head  of  the  procession  we  saw 
Mercury;  the  Goddess  of  Night;  Pluto,  surrounded 
by  a  multitude  of  demons;  Diana,  Love,  Venus, 
Mars,  walking  one  after  another;  then  the  lepers, 
the  commanders  of  the  city,  horse-guards,  dancers, 
tambourine  players,  etc.  After  the  mythological 
divinities  were  Scriptural  personages:  The  Queen 
of  Sheba  coming  to  see  Solomon;  Moses  carr3dng 
the  Tables  of  the  Law,  and  trying  to  bring  back  to 
the  worship  of  the  true  God  the  mocking  Jews, 
who  were  dancing  round  a  pasteboard  golden  calf. 
Following  the  Jews  came  the  apostles,  with  the 
perfidious  Judas  in  advance,  holding  in  his  hand  a 
purse  containing  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver  earned 
by  his  treason ;  the  other  apostles  were  beating  him 
over  the  head  with  sticks  of  wood  in  punishment 
for  his  infamous  behavior.     The  Abb^  of  Youth,  the 


52  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BERRY 

King  of  the  Basoche,  and  the  Prince  of  Love  pre- 
ceded the  canopy  covering  the  Blessed  Sacrament, 
which  was  followed  by  an  immensity  of  priests  in 
different  costumes.  Death  closed  the  cortege.  All 
the  church  bells  of  the  city  were  ringing  while  the 
procession  lasted." 

Leaving  Aix,  the  Princess  went  to  Orange,  where 
she  admired  the  ancient  theatre  and  the  arch  of 
Marius,  two  magnificent  vestiges  of  Roman  grand- 
eur. Thence  she  passed  in  triumph  through  the 
department  of  the  DrOme.  Meanwhile,  her  husband 
wrote  her  as  follows  from  Paris,  June  4 :  — 

"I  received  yesterday,  Madame  and  dearest  friend, 
your  kind  and  amiable  letter  of  the  27th.  Every- 
body says  all  that  is  good  about  you;  but  I  can 
appreciate  your  worth  better  from  your  letters,  which 
I  find  charming.  You  ask  me  to  give  you  advice, 
and  I  will  tell  you  everything  that  I  think  you  may 
find  useful.  You  complain  of  your  timidity;  it  is 
becoming  to  your  youth,  and  you  know  how  to  com- 
bine it  with  kindness  and  nobility.  You  are  sur- 
rounded by  the  love  of  the  people  of  the  South  of 
France,  who  are  very  good.  You  are  a  presage  of 
happiness  to  France,  and  the  terror  of  the  seditious. 

"  Charles  Ferdinand.  " 

The    Princess   wrote   to   her   husband    the    next 

day:  — 

"MoNTELiMART,  June  5,  1816. 

"  Monseigneur's  letter  of  May  31  was  brought  to 

me  before  I  was  able  to  finish  my  reply  to  that  of 


FROM  MARSEILLES   TO  FONTAINEBLEAU       53 

the  26th.  I  thank  you  deeply  for  the  second  as 
well  as  the  first.  You  gave  me  a  great  pleasure  by 
sending  that  of  my  parents.  People  still  continue 
to  show  me  France  in  gala  dress.  In  every  place  I 
pass  through  the  acclamations  are  continual,  and 
likewise  the  compliments  of  the  authorities.  I  feel 
this  deeply;  but  I  will  whisper  to  Monseigneur, 
from  whom  I  have  nothing  to  hide,  and  to  him  only, 
that  I  also  feel  the  weight  of  these  honors,  and  am 
never  intoxicated  by  them.  I  am  longing  to  enjoy  a 
quiet  family  life.  Meanwhile,  I  assure  Your  Royal 
Highness  of  my  affection ;  it  will  last  as  long  as  my 

^'^^-  "Caroline." 

After  Mont^limart  the  Princess  visited  Vienne  in 
Dauphiny,  where  she  saw  Pontius  Pilate's  tower  on 
the  bank  of  the  Rhone,  and  the  superb  Gothic  church 
of  Saint  Maurice,  with  its  gigantic  nave,  its  stair- 
ways of  a  thousand  balusters,  and  its  ceiling  sown 
with  golden  stars.  She  reached  Lyons  June  8,  at 
half-past  three  in  the  afternoon.  A  triumphal  arch 
had  been  erected  in  her  honor  on  the  Place  de  la 
Charity.  One  hundred  ladies  and  thirty  young  girls 
paid  her  their  compliments.  The  next  day,  after 
Mass,  she  went  to  the  HStel  de  Ville,  and  thence  to 
Saint  Peter's  House,  where  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce presented  their  homage  in  the  shape  of  a 
handsome  basket  containing  stuffs  from  the  manu- 
factures of  Lyons.  In  accepting  this  offering,  the 
Princess  removed  the  shawl  she  was  wearing  and 


54  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBRY 

put  on  one  of  those  presented  to  her,  saying  that  she 
would  wear  it  to  the  theatre  the  same  evening.  Dur- 
ing the  day  she  wrote  this  letter  to  her  husband :  — 

"  Lyons,  June  9,  1816. 

"  Your  letter  of  June  4,  Monseigneur,  was  handed 
to  me  on  the  evening  of  my  arrival  at  Lyons.  I 
don't  want  to  keep  on  repeating  that  I  thank  you; 
once  for  all,  count  on  my  tender  gratitude,  and  be 
sure  that  nothing  escapes  my  susceptibility;  you 
have  touched  it  keenly. 

"  You  say  you  are  content  with  me,  Monseigneur. 
That  is  doubtless  to  reassure  me ;  for  I  know  that  I 
lack  much,  very  much  of  being  what  I  would  like  to 
be  in  order  to  please  you  and  to  correspond  with  the 
too  flattering  idea  that  has  been  given  you  of  Caro- 
line. Believe  in  her  good  heart  and  her  desire  to 
respond  to  your  confidence  by  giving  you  all  her 
own.  That  is  all  I  can  answer  for;  your  care,  your 
kindness,  will  do  the  rest. 

"  I  am  very  grateful  for  all  that  has  been  done  to 
embellish  my  habitation,  and  for  me.  How  can  I 
show  my  gratitude  to  everybody?  You  will  help 
me,  Monseigneur ;  it  is  only  with  you  that  I  already 
try  to  need  no  interpreter,  for  I  tell  you  very  frankly 
that  you  are  dear  to  your  „  Caroline." 

In  the  evening  there  was  a  state  dinner  at  the 
archbishop's  palace,  and  a  gala  representation  at 
the   Grand   Theatre.      They  played   La  Partie   de 


FBOM  MARSEILLES   TO  FONTAINEBLEAU        55 

Chasse  de  Henri  IV.  ^  and  a  piece  composed  for  the 

occasion  called  La  Nymphe  de  ParthSnope.     At  the 

close  of  this  piece,  Flora,  followed  by  her  nymphs, 

passes  in  front  of  the  stage,  taking  lilies  from  her 

basket  and  tlirowing  them   to   the  spectators.     All 

the  nymphs  carried  clusters  of  the  same  flower,  and 

likewise  threw  them  into  the  hall.     At  the  same 

moment  a  shower  of  lilies  fell  from  the  ceiling,  and 

a  dove  came  to  place  a  crown   on  the  Duchess    of 

Berry's    head.       All   the   spectators  rose   at   once, 

waving   their   lily  stalks  and   crying:    "Long  live 

the  King !     Long  live  the  Princess !  " 

The  Duke  of  Berry  wrote  to  his  wife  the  same 

day :  — 

"  Paris,  June  9,  1816. 

"It  is,  Madame  and  dear  friend,  by  one  of  the 
most  devoted  adherents  of  our  house  that  I  write  you 
to-day,  —  the  good  Prince  of  Castelcicala.  I  have 
no  need  of  recommending  him  to  you ;  he  knows  me 
well,  having  seen  me  so  long  in  England.  How 
gladly  I  would  take  his  place !  I  shall  see  you  in 
six  days,  then!  I  am  always  fearing  that  you  will 
not  find  me  handsome,  for  the  Parisian  painters  are 
not  like  those  of  Palermo ;  they  flatter.  What  pleas- 
ure it  will  give  me  to  press  your  hand!  Press  mine 
also  if  you  do  not  find  me  too  displeasing.  The  con- 
straint we  shall  be  under  for  two  days  annoj^s  me 
much.  My  Caroline,  I  am  going  to  make  your  hap- 
piness and  your  pleasures  my  occupation.  I  know 
you  like  going  to  the  play,  and  I  have  boxes  in  all 


56  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BERRY 

the  theatres.  I  have  a  country  seat  which  you  have 
heard  of,  where  we  shall  often  go  together.  I  hunt 
often,  and  you  shall  come  too,  in  an  open  carriage; 
you  like  music,  and  I  am  very  fond  of  it  also.  In  a 
word,  Madame,  I  will  try  to  make  you  happy,  and  I 
hope  to  succeed.  If  I  am  to  believe  those  who  have 
seen  you,  you  possess  good-nature,  gentleness,  intel- 
ligence, and  gaiety;  what  better  could  one  ask? 
However,  we  shall  find  out  each  other's  faults ;  ten- 
der indulgence  shall  be  our  motto. 

"Charles  Ferdinand." 

After  having  left  Lyons,  where  she  found  two 
of  her  ladies-in-waiting,  the  Countess  of  Hautefort 
and  the  Countess  Charles  de  B^thisy,  the  Princess 
went  towards  Moulins,  where  she  arrived  June  11. 
Evidences  of  sympathy  and  enthusiasm  were  seen 
everywhere  along  the  route.  The  authorities,  the 
people,  the  army,  the  National  Guards,  rivalled  each 
other  in  their  zeal  to  welcome  the  amiable  young 
Princess,  who  seemed  like  a  rainbow  after  the  storm. 
Smiling  and  gracious,  looking  at  everything  through 
the  prism  of  illusion  and  hope,  she  fancied  that  the 
nation  was  forever  reconciled  with  its  King,  that  the 
white  flag  had  no  rival  to  fear,  and  that  the  race  of 
Saint  Louis  was  once  and  forever  established  on  the 
throne  of  France.  How  was  it  possible  to  doubt  so 
many  protestations  of  devotion  and  fidelity  ?  There 
was  such  an  accent  of  loyalty  in  every  speech,  such 
an .  expression  of   confidence,   affection,   and  joy  on 


FliOM  MABSEILLES   TO  FONTAINEBLEAU        57 

every  countenance!  The  young  Princess  felt  that 
for  her  to  suspect  the  future  would  be  a  sacrilege. 
She  hoped,  and  she  believed. 

Just  as  the  Duchess  of  Berry  Avas  about  to  enter 
the  department  of  Seine-et-Marne,  where  her  first 
interview  with  her  husband  was  to  take  place,  Louis 
XVIII.  published  the  following  decree,  dated  at 
Fontainebleau,  June  13,  1816:  — 

"Louis,  etc.  The  department  of  Seine-et-Marne 
is  full  of  monuments  of  religion  and  of  monarchy. 
Melun  has  seen  Clotilde,  the  daughter  of  its  counts, 
placed  by  Providence  on  the  throne  of  Clovis  in  order 
to  give  Christian  kings  to  France.  It  was  for  Melun 
that  Saint  Louis  left  Vincennes.  Fontainebleau 
recalls  the  glorious  times  of  Francis  I.  and  of  Louis 
XIV.  Meaux  has  been  the  see  of  a  bishop  whose 
genius  and  virtues  have  raised  him  to  an  equality 
with  the  Fathers  of  the  Church.  Nearly  every  city, 
town,  and  simple  village  of  this  department  has  been 
the  scene  of  some  memorable  event  in  the  ancient 
wars  of  which  Paris  was  the  centre  and  the  object. 
In  these  latter  times  we  have  been  touched  by  the 
afflictions  suffered  by  the  inhabitants  of  Seine-et- 
Marne,  the  patience  with  which  they  have  endured 
them,  and  the  marks  of  affection  given  us  by  so 
many  faithful  subjects  abiding  in  their  region.  We 
wish  to  attest  this  by  associating  them  in  the 
rewards  we  have  decreed  to  the  National  Guards  of 
several  departments,  and  we  have  chosen  this  period 
when  we  are  going  amongst  them  to  receive  our 
beloved  daughter,  the  Duchess  of  Berry." 


58  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BERRY 

The  Princess  arrived  at  Nemours  in  the  day- 
time, June  14.  Her  carriage  was  overflowing  with 
flowers  that  had  been  presented  on  her  journey.  She 
was  complimented  and  received  by  the  Dukes  of  La 
Chatre,  Maill^,  and  Damas,  who  led  her  to  the  H6tel 
de  Ville,  where  she  was  to  pass  the  night,  and  pre- 
sented two  of  her  ladies-in-waiting,  the  Countess  of 
Lauriston  and  the  Countess  of  Gourgues.  The  next 
day,  June  15,  she  left  Nemours,  and  passed  through 
the  forest  toward  the  crossroads  of  La  Croix  de  Saint 
H^rem. 


VII 


FONT  A INEBLEATJ 


THE  Duke  of  Berry  was  impatiently  awaiting  his 
young  wife  at  Fontainebleau.  He  had  written 
her  from  there,  June  12,  1816: — • 

"  Your  letter  from  Lyons,  which  was  handed  to  me 
by  the  King,  gave  me  inexpressible  pleasure.  I  am 
charmed  at  your  scolding  me  about  my  handwriting ; 
you  are  quite  right;  but  when  I  write  to  you,  my 
heart  carries  me  away,  and  you  have  no  idea  of  the 
trouble  it  gives  me  to  be  legible.  Three  days 
longer !  I  am  burning  to  see  you.  To-day  I  feel  a 
great  happiness ;  I  have  your  portrait.  At  the  very 
least,  it  cannot  disfigure  you ;  and  even  if  it  flatters 
you  a  little,  one  could  be  very  agreeable  without 
being  so  charming  as  this  portrait." 

And  again,  June  14 :  — 

"The  Prince  of  Castelcicala  has  given  me  your 
letter  from  Moulins,  which  is  still  kinder  than  the 
others.  To-morrow  I  shall  see  my  wife  at  last,  my 
wife  whose  happiness  is  to  be  my  work." 

After  having  cited  this  correspondence  of  the  mar- 
ried pair  who  had  not  yet  seen  each  other,  Chateau- 
briand says : — 


60  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BERRY 


"  Alas !  the  Prince  caused  the  unhappiness  of  her 
whose  felicity  he  aimed  at.  But  who  is  to  blame 
for  it  ?  How  this  young  couple  loved  France !  What 
sincere  gratitude  (for  it  was  well  hidden  in  these  let- 
ters) for  the  homage  paid  them!  Do  these  letters 
contain  a  single  word  which  the  simplest,  the  noblest, 
the  tenderest  soul  could  disavow  ?  Who,  in  reading 
them,  would  not  be  glad  to  have  those  who  wrote 
them  as  brother  and  sister,  as  son  and  daughter? 
There  was  a  touching  resemblance  in  the  destinies 
of  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Berry;  sprung  from  the 
same  race,  both  Bourbons,  both  having  seen  the  fall 
of  their  ancestral  thrones,  both  having  regained  their 
rank,  they  had  known  scarcely  anything  but  exile 
and  misfortune  before  their  marriage.  Beaten  by 
the  same  tempest,  they  had  united  to  give  each  other 
mutual  support.  After  so  many  misfortunes  thej^ 
sought  some  moments  of  happiness;  their  letters 
prove  how  cruel  it  was  to  tear  it  from  them." 

The  entire  royal  family  were  assembled  at  Fon- 
tainebleau,  awaiting  the  Princess  who  was  the  object 
of  so  many  hopes.  June  14,  there  was  a  grand  din- 
ner at  the  chateau  in  the  Hall  of  Fetes.  The  beauty 
of  this  hall,  which  was  built  by  Henri  II.,  added 
much  to  the  splendor  of  the  banquet.  Sixty  per- 
sons were  admitted  to  the  honor  of  dining  at  the 
royal  table.  During  the  repast  the  chapel  band 
played  Vive  Henri  IV.  and  Oharmante  G-ahrielle, 
At  six  o'clock  an  immense  crowd  was  allowed  to 
enter  the  hall  and  pass  around  the  table. 


FONTAINEBLEAU  61 

The  road  from  Fontainebleau  to  Nemours  was 
thronged  the  next  day  from  early  dawn.  The  peas- 
ants in  their  holiday  attire  went  to  meet  the  Prin- 
cess and  offer  her  bouquets.  Musicians  playing 
national  airs  wandered  along  the  highway.  The 
National  Guards  of  the  neighboring  villages  were 
under  arms. 

The  Princess  had  just  passed  through  the  town  of 
Nemours.  "  Madame  the  Duchess  of  Berry  is  in  the 
forest  of  Fontainebleau,"  said  the  Duchess  of  Reggio, 
her  maid  of  honor.  This  simple  remark  produced  an 
extraordinary  effect  upon  the  Princess.  Listen  to 
Chateaubriand  on  the  subject :  — 

"  The  first  marriage  pomps  beneath  the  trees  were 
charming.  One  would  say  that  the  descendants  of 
the  long-haired  ^  kings  have  maintained  a  secret  pre- 
dilection for  forests ;  it  has  pleased  them  to  choose 
solitudes  for  their  palaces  and  to  have  the  enchant- 
ments of  their  courts  overshadowed  by  great  oaks. 
How  many  souvenirs  must  not  Fontainebleau,  where 
twenty-nine  kings  have  lived  since  Robert,  have 
offered  to  the  young  Princess!  Saint  Louis,  the 
august  chief  of  his  race,  had  caused  a  hospital  to  be 
built  there  for  the  poor,  among  whom,  as  he  said,  he 
sought  Jesus  Christ.  Other  centuries  added  the 
works  of  Charles  the  Victorious,  and  of  Francis  the 
restorer  of  learning,  to  those  of  the  Saint.  Henri 
TV,  dated  his  letters  from  his   delicious  deserts  of 

1  The  Merovingian  kings  were  thus  styled. 


62  TEE  DUCHESS   OF  BEERY 

Fontainebleau.  .  Louis  XIII.  embellished  them  still 
further.  Then  came  the  unfortunate  Louis  XVL, 
who  covered  the  rocks  with  a  mourning-veil  of 
pines ;  and  thirty  years  later  a  Pope  was  imj^risoned 
amidst  these  thickets  where  Louis  XIV.  had  loved 
La  Valli^re,  —  and  all  these  things,  which  for  the 
rest  of  the  world  are  history,  were  merely  family 
traditions  to  the  house  of  France." 

It  was  at  Moret,  near  Fontainebleau,  that  on  Sep- 
tember 4,  1725,  Louis  XY.  saw  his  wife,  Marie 
Leczinska,  for  the  first  time.  It  was  at  the  cross- 
roads of  La  Croix  de  Saint  Herem,  in  the  forest  of 
Fontainebleau,  that  the  Duchess  of  Berry  was  about 
to  meet  her  husband.  Less  than  twelve  years  before 
—  November  25,  1804  —  it  was  at  the  same  place 
that  Napoleon  saw  for  the  first  time  Pope  Pius  VII., 
who  had  come  to  France  to  crown  him.  Louis 
XVIII.  had  the  same  grand  chamberlain  as  the 
Emperor,  Prince  Talleyrand,  who  was  at  the  Cross 
of  Saint  H^rem,  June  15,  1816,  as  he  had  been  No- 
vember 25,  1804.  How  many  changes  had  occurred 
in  less  than  a  dozen  years,  while  he,  the  spectator  of 
so  many  vicissitudes,  had  always  fulfilled  the  same 
functions!  Such  irremovability  was  more  than 
strange  and  must  have  surprised  even  him  who  was 
its  object! 

The  crossroads  of  La  Croix  de  Saint  H^rem, 
where  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Berry  were  about  to 
meet,  is  in  the  depths  of  the  forest,  about  a  league 
from  Fontainebleau.     Two  superb  tents  had  been  set 


FONTAINEBLEA  U  63 

up  there,  one  of  which  was  intended  for  the  royal 
family,  and  the  other  for  the  suite  of  the  Duchess  of 
Berry.  The  first  had  been  carpeted,  and  contained 
an  armchair  for  the  King,  covered  with  sky-blue 
velvet,  embroidered  in  gold,  and  twelve  campstools 
for  the  princes  and  princesses  of  his  family. 

Two  carriages  containing  the  members  of  her 
household  preceded  the  open  barouche  in  which  sat 
the  young  Princess  with  the  Duchess  of  Reggio,  her 
lady  of  honor,  and  the  Countess  of  La  Ferronnays, 
her  lady  of  the  bedchamber.  The  Duchess  of  Reggio 
said  to  her:  "I  must  inform  Your  Royal  Highness 
that  we  are  about  to  arrive  at  the  Cross  of  Saint 
Herem.  There  you  will  find  the  royal  family." 
The  carriage  stopped  in  another  instant.  "The 
King  is  coming  forward  to  meet  Your  Royal  High- 
ness," added  the  lady  of  honor.  On  alighting  from 
the  carriage,  the  Princess  was  to  be  received  accord- 
ing to  the  same  etiquette  as  had  been  observed  on 
the  arrival  of  Queen  Marie  Leczinska.  She  was  to 
cross,  all  alone,  half  of  a  carpet  spread  on  the  grass, 
while  the  King,  leading  the  royal  family,  crossed  the 
other  half.  But  the  lively  Duchess  found  the  solemn 
slowness  of  such  a  ceremonial  tiresome.  Recollect- 
ing the  neutrality  of  the  Marseilles  H6tel  de  Ville, 
she  asked  in  an  undertone  if  the  carpet  was  neutral. 
Then,  springing  forward  with  one  bound  toward  the 
King,  she  threw  herself  at  his  knees,  kissed  his 
hands,  and  said  something  which  he  seemed  to 
approve.     Louis  XVIII.  raised  her,  pressed  her  to 


64  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BERRY 

his  heart,  and  presented  her  to  the  Duchess  of  Angou- 
leme.  The  Duke  of  Berry  advanced.  "Nephew," 
said  the  King,  "  it  is  my  daughter  that  I  give  you, 
whom  I  ah'eady  love  like  a  father.  Make  her 
happy."  Then  he  joined  their  hands.  The  Duchess 
of  Gontaut,  a  witness  of  this  touching  scene,  says  : 
"The  two  spouses  looked  at  each  other.  What  a 
moment,  when  each  sought  to  divine  Avhat  their 
whole  life  was  to  be!  .  .  .  She  seemed  to  please 
him.  ...  I  heard  him  say  in  a  low  tone  to  Madame 
de  La  Ferronnays:  'I  shall  love  her.  .  .  .'  The 
moment  when  Monsieur  held  out  his  arms  to  his 
young  daughter-in-law,  and  she  implored  his  protec- 
tion and  he  promised  it,  was  strikingly  affecting. 
Monseigneur,  seeing  that  the  Princess  was  frightened, 
spoke  to  her  in  a  gracious  tone  that  reassured  her. 
He  seemed  to  please  her.  She  said  to  me  that 
she  found  him  better  looking  than  his  portrait  which 
had  been  sent  to  her  at  Naples." 

The  young  Princess  produced  the  most  favorable 
impression.  Her  kindly  and  prepossessing  face, 
large  blue  eyes,  and  curling  fair  hair  made  her  very 
charming.  She  wore  a  diadem  of  fine  pearls  sur- 
mounted by  a  wreath  of  roses.  The  weather  had 
been  misty  all  the  morning,  but  at  the  moment  of 
the  interview  the  sun  came  out  brilliantly.  The 
uniforms,  the  feathers,  and  the  ladies'  dresses  glit- 
tered. The  whole  open  space  was  crowded  with 
generals  and  officers  of  the  King's  household.  The 
troops  on  duty  were  the  body-guards,  the  Hundred 


FONTAINEBLEAU  65 

Switzers,  and  two  hundred  grenadiers  of  the  infantry- 
guard.  The  princes  seemed  to  have  attained  the 
summit  of  felicity.  Never  had  such  satisfaction 
been  visible  on  the  face  of  Louis  XYIII.  The 
interview,  which  took  place  at  half  past  two,  lasted 
ten  minutes.  Then  the  King  returned  to  Fontaine- 
bleau,  taking  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Berry  with 
him  in  his  carriage,  as  well  as  the  Duke  and  Duchess 
of  Angouleme.  They  entered  the  chateau  through 
the  court  of  the  Cheval  Blanc^  where  three  regiments 
of  the  royal  guard  were  drawn  up  in  battle  array: 
the  lancers,  the  hussars,  and  the  first  infantry  regi- 
ment. The  principal  door  of  the  perron  of  the  stairs 
called  the  Fer-d- Cheval  was  adorned  with  flowers  so 
arranged  as  to  form  a  portico,  the  plinths  and  the 
inner  side  of  the  arch  being  symmetrically  diversi- 
fied and  shaded,  and  the  words,  "Long  live  the 
King!  "  traced  in  china-asters.  The  royal  guard 
celebrated  the  arrival  of  a  Bourbon  princess  on  the 
same  spot  where  Napoleon  uttered  his  pathetic  and 
memorable  farewell  to  the  imperial  guard. 

What  changes  two  years  had  brought  about !  The 
spectators  were  thoughtful. 

During  the  whole  evening  the  courts  of  the  chateau 
were  filled  with  countless  crowds.  At  six  o'clock 
the  King  sat  down  at  table,  and  the  public  were 
admitted  to  the  honor  of  seeing  him  dine.  The 
Duchess  of  Berry,  who  was  on  the  monarch's  left, 
beside  her  husband,  was  the  centre  of  observation. 
After  dinner  Louis  XVIII.  showed  himself  at  one  of 


66  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BERRY 

the  windows  of  the  Hall  of  the  Guards  which  gives 
on  to  the  oval  court,  that  court  of  marvellous  archi- 
tecture whose  entrance  gate  is  the  baptistery  of 
Louis  XIII.  After  making  signs  of  good  will  to 
the  crowd  who  were  crying,  "Long  live  the  King! " 
he  took  the  Duchess  of  Berry  by  the  hand  and  pre- 
sented her  to  the  people.  She  responded  by  a  grace- 
ful salute  to  the  demonstrations  of  joy  made  on 
beholding  her.  In  the  evening  there  was  dancing 
on  the  public  squares  and  the  town  was  illuminated. 
The  favorite  city  of  Francis  I.  enchanted  the 
Duchess  of  Berry.  Nowhere  in  France,  and  perhaps 
nowhere  else  in  the  world,  is  there  a  residence  so 
picturesque  and  charming,  so  full  of  poetry  and 
souvenirs,  as  Fontainebleau.  The  forest  is  a  great 
wonder  of  nature,  and  the  palace  a  great  miracle  of 
art.  A  nameless  spell  proceeds  from  this  magnifi- 
cent abode  which  penetrates  the  soul.  There  one 
sees  the  power  of  man  triumph,  and  still  more  that 
of  God.  No  spot  could  have  been  better  adapted  to 
dazzle  the  young  Princess  and  impress  her  imagina- 
tion. As  she  crossed  the  threshold  of  the  legendary 
palace,  it  seemed  as  though  all  the  glorious  centuries 
of  France  rose  to  life  and  bade  her  welcome.  Prima- 
ticcio's  frescoes  in  the  luminous  Hall  of  Fetes  were 
suitable  to  the  splendors  of  a  joyful  marriage.  The 
art-lover  was  enchanted.  The  Italian  woman  en- 
joyed the 'palace  so  dear  to  Catherine  and  Maria  de' 
Medici.  She  admitted  that  what  had  been  told  her 
concerning  the  pomp  and  splendor  of  the  court  of 


FONTAINEBLEAU  67 

France  was  not  an  exaggeration.  Sincerely  moved 
by  the  joy  apparent  on  all  faces,  by  the  paternal  wel- 
come of  the  King,  the  affection  displayed  by  her  hus- 
band, and  the  respectful  sympathy  shown  by  all 
classes  of  society,  she  thought  it  would  be  easy  to 
become  the  idol  of  the  French  nation.  She  slept  at 
the  palace  of  Fontainebleau  on  Saturday,  June  15. 
Her  husband  did  not  pass  the  night  there,  custom  for- 
bidding a  married  pair  to  sleep  under  the  same  roof 
until  after  the  celebration  of  the  religious  marriage. 
On  Sunday  morning,  June  16,  she  departed  with  the 
entire  royal  family  to  make,  on  the  same  day,  her 
formal  entry  into  Paris. 


VIII 


THE  ENTRY  INTO   PAEIS 


FOR  several  weeks  the  marriage  of  the  Duke  of 
Berry  had  been  the  universal  topic  of  conversa- 
tion at  Paris.  June  5,  1816,  M.  Charles  de  Rdmusat 
wrote  to  his  mother :  — 

"We  are  all  thinking  about  the  marriage.  Every- 
body goes  to  see  the  corbeille,  the  robes,  and  the 
trousseau.  We  expect  to  be  very  gay  at  the  wed- 
ding, and  to  sing  and  dance  a  good  deal ;  I  hope  we 
may." 

And  the  former  mistress  of  the  Empress  Jose- 
phine's household  replied,  June  11,  from  Toulouse, 
where  her  husband  was  prefect :  — 

"  I  hope  Providence  will  protect  us,  but  we  have 
great  need  of  it;  for  these  poor  French  no  longer 
know  what  they  are  doing.  I  see  nobody  but  the 
Duke  of  Berry  who  really  does  what  he  should  do. 
He  is  getting  married;  he  will  give  us  sons  and 
daughters;  he  will  enliven  us;  I  await  all  your 
accounts  most  impatiently.  I  am  sure  that  the  King 
and  our  Princess  will  be  charming  in  this  family 
festivity,  and  that  the  joy  of  the  Parisians  will  be 
very  sincere.  Probably  it  will  be  the  first  genuine 
sentiment  they  have  felt  in  a  long  while." 
68 


THE  ENTRY  INTO  PARIS  69 

The  Moniteur  of  June  4  described  the  visit  of  the 
princes  to  the  Hotel  des  Menus-Plaisirs  to  examine 
the  trousseau  and  wedding  presents  of  the  bride.  A 
pedestal  covered  with  red  velvet  drapery  stood  on  a 
platform  of  white  marble.  A  lily  stalk,  surmounted 
by  a  wheatsheaf  embroidered  in  gold,  sprang  from 
each  corner  of  it.  On  its  four  faces  were  the  arms  of 
the  two  houses  of  Bourbon  and  the  interlaced  mono- 
grams of  the  spouses.  On  top  of  it  was  a  clump 
of  greensward  whence  issued  a  colossal  lily  with 
golden  leaves  and  silver  flowers.  This  was  called 
the  corbeille.  On  all  sides  of  it  were  baskets  laden 
with  garlands  of  flowers  and  cashmere  shawls.  The 
wedding  dress,  embroidered  in  silver  and  adorned 
with  diamonds,  a  white  cut  velvet  mantle  similarly 
adorned,  a  tulle  robe  embroidered  with  pearls,  and 
another  with  steel,  were  especially  admired.  All 
the  fashionable  women  of  Paris  were  in  ecstasies 
over  those  wonderful  toilettes. 

The  King,  hearing  that  the  city  wished  to  make  a 
grand  display  of  fireworks  on  the  occasion  of  the 
marriage,  expressed  a  desire  that  the  funds  intended 
for  this  purpose  should  be  expended  in  a  more  use- 
ful manner,  and  one  calculated  to  produce  durable 
results.  It  was  decided,  in  consequence,  that  on  the 
day  of  the  Prince's  marriage,  fourteen  poor  orphans, 
born  in  Paris,  should  be  married  and  endowed  by  the 
city  with  fifty  louis  each.  On  Saturday,  June  15, 
in  Saint  John's  Hall  at  the  H6tel  de  Ville,  the  sig- 
natures were  afiixed  to  the  fifteen  marriage  contracts. 


70  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BERRY 

Count  de  Chabrol,  prefect  of  the  Seine,  addressed 
the  intending  couples  as  follows :  — 

"Young  spouses,  the  touching  ceremony  which 
brings  you  hither,  causes  your  hearts  to  thrill  with 
joy  and  gratitude.  Your  marriage  is  to  be  celebrated 
under  the  happiest  auspices,  because  it  associates 
you  in  a  way  with  the  august  ceremony  of  the  mar- 
riage of  a  Prince  and  Princess  who  are  the  hope  and 
ornament  of  France.  Some  day  it  will  be  sweet  for 
you  to  remember,  in  the  bosom  of  a  happy  household, 
that  you  owe  your  happiness  to  the  fortunate  and 
ever-memorable  epoch  of  an  august  union  by  which 
all  the  wishes  of  France  are  crowned.  You  will 
bring  up  your  children  to  love  our  good  King,  and 
feel  for  him  those  sentiments  of  devotion  and  respect 
which  are  due  to  his  sacred  person.  .  .  .  His 
Majesty  deigns  to  permit  you  to  be  present  as  he 
passes  by  to  go  to  Notre  Dame  for  the  marriage  cere- 
mony of  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Berry.  You  will 
have  the  happiness  of  beholding  his  cherished  feat- 
ures. In  his  presence  you  will  feel  your  young 
hearts  inflamed  with  a  new  love  for  his  august  per- 
son, and  you  will  go  back  to  your  homes  repeating 
that  cry  of  gratitude  and  love  so  dear  to  all  French- 
men: Long  live  the  King!  " 

The  Odeon,  Gaite,  Ambigu,  Varietes,  and  Porte 
Saint  Martin  theatres  gave  plays  composed  for  the 
occasion  in  the  evening  of  June  15.  The  Chemin 
de  Fontainebleau,  by  MM.  Georges  Duval  and 
Rochefort,  produced  at  the  Oddon,   seems  to  have 


THE  ENTRY  INTO  FABIS  71 

been  very  successful.  Speaking  of  this  charming 
trifle,  the  Moniteur  of  June  17,  said;  — 

"  Much  laughter  was  caused  by  the  character  of  a 
newsmonger  of  a  gamekeeper  who  could  predict  no 
misfortunes  except  for  Tonquin  and  Cochin  China. 
The  vaudeville  that  terminates  this  little  piece  is 
ingenious  and  very  effective.  The  couplets  succes- 
sively designate  the  monarch  who  reunites  the  wis- 
dom and  virtues  of  the  best  of  his  royal  ancestors, 
the  Prince  who  has  given  us  the  model  of  chivalrous 
freedom  and  French  gallantry,  the  Antigone  of  our 
days,  the  heroic  deliverer  of  the  South,  and  finally 
the  happy  couple  to  whom  Heaven  will  grant  the 
favor  of  augmenting  the  number  of  the  inheritors  of 
Henri  IV.  A  transparency  lights  up  at  the  refrain 
of  each  couplet  and  displays  the  features  of  the  per- 
son to  whom  homage  has  just  been  paid.  These 
pictures  were  received  with  unanimous  applause.  It 
is  true  that  every  spectator  thought  himself  on  the 
Fontainebleau  road,  and  it  was  the  same  idea  which 
caused  one  of  our  journals  to  remark  that  the  piece 
of  MM.  Georges  Duval  and  Kochefort  would  cause 
the  public  to  take  the  road  to  the  Odeon  very  often." 

The  Duchess  of  Berry  was  to  make  her  formal 
entry  into  Paris  on  Sunday,  June  16,  1816.  It  was 
the  feast  of  Corpus  Christi.  It  was  raining  so  hard 
the  previous  evening  that  fears'  were  entertained  lest 
the  solemnities  of  the  following  day  should  be 
spoiled.  We  have  at  hand  a  letter  addressed  to 
his  wife  by  the  Baron  of  Fremilly,  peer  of  France, 


72  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BEBBY 

which  has  been  communicated  to  us  by  his  great- 
grandson,  our  friend  the  Marquis  of  Pimodan.  It 
describes  well  the  feeling  of  the  moment :  — 

"  Saturday  Evening,  June  15. 

"  All  Paris  is  in  tears  and  fears  [dayis  les  larmes 
et  dans  les  alarmes'].  It  rains!  And  the  proces- 
sions, the  cortege,  the  illuminations,  and  the  mar- 
vels of  the  royal  faubourg !  Do  you  know  what  the 
royal  faubourg  is?  The  Faubourg  Saint-Antoine, 
which  not  knowing  how  else  to  wash  off  its  original 
sin,  has  unbaptized  itself.  Madame  de  Damas,  who 
has  just  come  from  there,  was  overjoyed  by  eight  thou- 
sand workmen  who  have  assessed  themselves  twenty 
sous  a  head  in  order  to  make  porticos,  garlands, 
cupids,  doves,  and  a  thousand  other  things  which  they 
are  so  secret  about,  that  these  good  people  spend  all 
day  in  their  workrooms  and  watch  all  night,  in 
order  that  their  whole  fabric,  of  which  there  is  not 
as  yet  a  vestige  to  be  seen,  shall  spring  up  at  a 
whistle,  and  the  King,  who  pays  them  the  compli- 
ment of  entering  by  their  gate,  shall  have  the  first 
sight  of  it." 

By  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  June  16,  the 
Parisian  National  Guard  was  under  arms.  The 
inhabitants  of  all  the  streets  through  which  the  pro- 
cession of  the  Blessed  Sacrament  was  to  pass,  had 
adorned  their  houses  with  tapestries,  hangings, 
branches,  religious  emblems,  and  devout  pictures. 
Magnificent  repositories  had  been  arranged.     That 


THE  ENTBY  INTO  PARIS  73 

which  had  been  prepared  at  the  Luxembourg  palace 
for  the  procession  of  Saint  Sulpice  overlooked  the 
rue  de  Tournon  and  produced  the  most  beautiful 
effect.  At  ten  o'clock  the  processions  began  to 
move  from  all  parts  of  the  capital.  At  two,  the 
twelve  legions  of  the  National  Guard  repaired  to  the 
posts  assigned  them.  The  troops  formed  a  double 
line  from  the  Barrier  of  the  Throne  as  far  as  the  Car- 
rousel. The  weather,  which  had  been  threatening 
in  the  morning,  and  rainy  toward  noon,  became 
splendid  at  three  o'clock.  A  good  omen!  cried 
the  flatterers  of  the  new  Duchess.  At  four  o'clock 
the  cannon  of  Vincennes  announced  the  coming  of 
the  royal  family,  and  the  procession  which  was  to 
precede  it  formed  at  the  Barrier  of  the  Throne.  In 
front  marched  the  staff -officers  of  the  place ;  then  a 
detachment  of  National  Guards  from  the  adjacent 
departments,  a  regiment  of  dragoons,  the  Berry 
hussars,  the  staff-officers  of  the  royal  guard,  com- 
manded by  the  Marshal  Duke  of  Reggie,  the  mounted 
National  Guard,  the  first  carriages  of  the  cortege,  the 
body-guards,  the  barouche  of  the  King,  who  had  the 
Duchess  of  Angouleme  on  his  left,  and  the  Duke 
and  Duchess  of  Berry  opposite;  Monsieur,  Count  of 
Artois  and  the  Duke  of  Angouleme  rode  beside  the 
carriage  doors.  The  mounted  grenadiers  of  the 
guard,  some  detachments  of  gendarmes,  and  the 
court  carriages  closed  the  march. 

A  halt  was  made  at  the  Barrier  of  the  Throne, 
where  the  prefect  of  the  Seine  made  a  speech. 


74  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BERRY 

A  numerous  group  of  young  girls,  chosen  from  the 
twelve  arrondissements  of  Paris,  afterwards  offered 
flowers  to  the  new  Duchess,  and  six  of  them  sang 
one  of  Cherubini's  cantatas.  Then  the  cortege 
moved  on,  advancing  with  majestic  slowness  under 
a  double  arch  of  white  flags  adorned  with  royalist 
emblems,  and  greeted  by  the  acclamations  of  an 
innumerable  crowd  filling  the  whole  space  which 
separates  the  end  of  the  Faubourg  Saint-Antoine 
from  the  palace  of  the  Tuileries.  As  the  King  and 
his  family  were  crossing  the  Faubourg  Saint-Antoine, 
and  just  opposite  the  rue  Saint  Bernard,  where  the 
church  of  Saint  Marguerite  is  situated,  they  met  the 
Abb^  Dubois,  curd  of  that  parish,  accompanied  by 
his  clergy.  The  royal  carriage  having  stopped,  the 
curd  presented  holy  water  and  incense.  Then,  hav- 
ing called  the  King's  attention  to  the  fact  that  all 
the  houses  of  this  faubourg  of  the  common  people 
were  draped,  he  said :  "  Sire,  these  are  not  the  tapes- 
tries of  the  Louvre,  but  they  express  the  purest,  sin- 
ceres  t  love  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  quarter  for  Your 
Majesty  and  all  the  royal  family." 

Louis  XVIII.  replied:  "Their  homage  is  all  the 
more  affecting  to  me,  and  the  people  of  the  Faubourg 
Saint-Antoine  could  not  have  a  better  interpreter 
than  you."  The  procession  passed  on  to  the  boule- 
vard of  the  Temple.  In  front  of  the  Apollo  cafd  a 
rope  had  been  stretched  across  the  boulevard.  At 
the  moment  of  the  King's  passage,  an  acrobat, 
dressed   as  a  warrior,  sprang   onto   this   rope,    and 


THE  ENTRY  INTO  PARIS  75 

dropped  a  crown  on  his  head.  The  Gaite,  Ambigu, 
and  Porte  Saint  Martin  theatres  had  erected  scaffold- 
ings on  which  were  groups  of  musicians  playing 
Vive  Henri  IV.  The  further  they  advanced  along 
the  boulevards,  the  more  fully  they  found  them 
decorated  with  white  flags  and  royalist  emblems. 
The  young  Duchess  was  completely  dazzled  and  sur- 
prised. The  cortdge  entered  the  Tuileries  at  about 
half-past  six  through  the  Louvre  gate.  Louis 
XVIII.  conducted  the  Duchess  of  Berry  to  the 
Pavilion  of  Marsan,  where  she  was  to  spend  the 
night,  the  Duke  meanwhile  repairing  to  the  Elysde, 
the  spouses  not  being  allowed  to  dwell  under  the 
same  roof  before  the  religious  marriage. 

The  next  day  M.  Charles  de  R^musat  wrote  his 
mother  the  following  account  of  the  entry  of  the 
Princess:  "We  were  at  the  wedding,  my  dear 
mother ;  we  were  at  the  wedding,  and  you  were  not ! 
Our  Princess  came  to  us  yesterday.  I  will  not 
recount  to  you  all  that  you  can  read  in  the  journals. 
The  King  was  received  with  admirable  enthusiasm 
at  Fontainebleau  and  all  along  the  road.  The  Grand 
Chamberlain  (M.  de  Talleyrand)  was  in  the  carriage 
with  him,  and  took  the  place  of  first  gentleman ;  he 
took  everything;  which  occasions  a  good  deal  of 
talk,  I  don't  kno^  why;  it  is  etiquette.  As  for 
him,  they  say  he  was  as  charming  as  possible,  laugh- 
ing, amusing  the  King,  telling  a  thousand  stories, 
perfectly  at  ease,  with  nothing  ministerial  about 
him,  and  especially  nothing  to  suggest  a  minister 


76  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BEBRT 

in  disgrace.  When  the  Princess  threw  herself  at 
the  King's  feet,  the  King  said  to  her:  'You  are  very 
good-looking!  '  Then  he  said  to  the  Duke  of  Berry: 
'Here  is  the  wife  God  gives  you.'  He  wrote  to  the 
Minister  of  Police :  '  The  Duke  of  Berry  is  in  love 
with  the  Princess,  and  we  are  all  of  us  his  rivals.' — 
Yesterday,  in  the  procession,  he  looked  like  a  bride- 
groom ;  his  face  was  serene ;  he  was  content,  —  more 
content,  on  my  word,  than  his  nephew.  The  Duch- 
ess looks  very  young;  she  is  very  white  and  very 
thin ;  whom  do  you  think  she  is  fearfully  like,  though 
on  a  small  scale?  Eh!  on  my  honor,  the  eldest 
daughter  of  the  Emperor  of  Austria!  Those  who 
have  seen  her  in  Provence  and  at  Lyons  say  she 
squints,  which  would  be  unpleasant.  But,  so  far, 
we  have  not  noticed  it  at  Paris.  They  say  she  is 
still  younger  in  character  than  in  age,  and  very 
intelligent  and  simple.  The  Duke  of  Berry  sleeps 
to-night  at  our  Elys^e.  To-morrow  the  marriage 
will  take  place  before  the  altar  and  elsewhere." 

To  sum  up,  the  formal  entry  of  the  young  Duchess 
had  passed  off  very  well.  The  coincidence  between 
the  Fete  Dieu  and  the  royal  f^te  had  been  fortunate. 
While  the  cannons  were  thundering  in  token  of  joy, 
and  the  bells  were  pealing  their  merriest,  the  chasu- 
bles of  the  priests,  the  young  girls''  white  frocks,  and 
the  military  uniforms  presented  a  picturesque  appear- 
ance. It  was  the  double  apotheosis  of  the  altar  and 
the  throne.  Incense  had  been  burned  to  God  and 
to  the  King. 


IX 


THE  MARRIAGE 


ON  Sunday,  June  17,  1816,  Paris  was  en  fSte 
from  early  dawn.  The  marriage  of  the  Duke 
and  Duchess  of  Berry  was  to  be  celebrated  that 
day  at  Notre  Dame.  In  the  morning,  an  article 
signed  b^^  M.  Charles  Nodier  appeared  in  the  Debats, 
in  which  it  was  said :  — 

"  Yes,  the  Bourbons  are  still  more  our  relatives  than 
our  masters,  or  rather,  they  reign  over  the  French 
by  an  hereditary  right  which  they  have  never  used 
except  to  make  us  happy ;  and  when  they  marry  off 
their  children,  none  but  those  who  have  abjured  the 
name  of  Frenchmen  or  who  have  not  the  honor  to 
bear  it,  can  be  indifferent  to  the  cause  of  public  joy. 
The  rest  share  in  their  happiness  as  if  it  were  a 
family  festivity." 

The  sun  rose  in  a  cloudless  sky.  The  weather 
was  magnificent.  At  eight  in  the  morning  the  bat- 
talions of  the  Parisian  National  Guard,  the  royal 
guard,  and  the  departmental  legions  entered  the 
open  space  in  front  of  the  metropolitan  church,  and 
then  formed  into  double  lines,  reaching  from  Notre 
Dame  Place  as  far  as  the  Tuileries.     In  front  of  the 

77 


78  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BERRY 

cathedral  there  is  a  portico  of  sixteen  columns  sur- 
mounted by  an  amphitheatre  which  contained  musi- 
cians and  spectators.  The  interior  of  the  church 
■was  brilliant.  The  lateral  fasciae  of  the  naye 
Mveve  decorated  with  the  interlaced  monograms  and 
escutcheons  of  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Berry  and 
those  of  France  and  Navarre,  supported  by  angels 
boldly  outlined  above  the  pointed  arches.  Gilded 
escutcheons  bearing  the  names  of  the  good  cities  of 
the  realm,  adorned  with  captured  spears,  and  sur- 
mounted by  mural  crowns  and  heralds'  rods,  were 
attached  to  the  immense  columns.  The  choir  was 
superbly  decorated.  Around  its  circumference,  on 
panels  of  Languedoc  marble,  fourteen  medallions 
represented  a  series  of  allegorical  subjects  pertaining 
to  the  events  of  Louis  XVIII.'s  reign.  On  the 
capitals  of  the  small  columns  supporting  the  gal- 
leries above  the  choir,  were  magnificent  trophies, 
before  each  of  which  hung  blue  oriflammes  adorned 
with  pictures  of  various  holy  personages,  among 
them  the  patron  saints  of  the  two  spouses.  In  the 
choir  were  six  angels  in  bronze  on  white  marble 
pedestals;  Louis  XVIII.'s  coat  of  arms  was  embla- 
zoned on  the  base  of  the  statues  of  Louis  XIII.  and 
Louis  XIV. ;  a  Christ  nine  feet  high  in  silver-gilt 
rose  from  the  steps  of  the  altar.  Savonnerie  carpets 
covered  the  pavements  of  the  choir  and  nave,  and  a 
profusion  of  lamp-stands,  girandoles,  and  rock  crys- 
tal chandeliers  bearing  numberless  candles  were  dis- 
tributed throughout  the  whole  edifice. 


THE  MABBIAGE  79 


The  procession  left  the  Tuileries  at  half-past 
eleven.  One  noticed  in  it  the  staff  of  the  First  Mili- 
tary Division,  the  staff  of  the  National  Guard,  some 
detachments  of  the  military  household,  and  the  royal 
guard.  There  were  thirty-six  carriages;  twenty- 
four  from  the  King's  stables,  and  tAvelve  from  those 
of  Monsieur.  All  the  houses  on  the  line  of  march 
were  draped.  At  noon  discharges  of  cannon,  peals 
of  bells,  and  the  cheers  of  the  crowd  announced  the 
arrival  of  the  procession  in  front  of  Notre  Dame. 
Abbe  Jalabert,  at  the  head  of  the  metropolitan  chap- 
ter, addressed  Louis  XVIII.  at  the  entrance  of  the 
church.  The  King  replied :  "  I  am  much  affected  by 
the  sentiments  of  the  chaj^ter  of  Paris.  It  is  to  con- 
secrate the  happiness  of  my  people  that  I  have 
wished  that  a  union  so  dear  to  my  heart  should  be 
celebrated  in  the  metropolitan  church,  under  the 
invocation  of  the  Mother  of  God,  the  august  pa- 
troness of  this  church,  and  the  protectress  of  France 
and  my  family." 

The  King  then  advanced  processionally,  under  a 
canopy,  as  far  as  the  choir.  He  wore  a  uniform 
heavily  embroidered  in  gold;  the  Duke  of  Angou- 
leme,  that  of  a  lord-high-admiral;  Monsieur,  the 
silver-embroidered  uniform  of   a  colonel-general  of 

o 

the  National  Guard;  the  Prince  of  Condd,  the  white 
uniform  of  a  colonel-general  of  French  infantry ;  and 
the  Duke  of  Berry,  the  grand  court-costume,  a  coat 
of  cloth-of-gold,  lace  cravat,  silk  stockings,  and  man- 
tle. The  toilette  of  the  Duchess  was  adorned  with 
the  finest  of  the  croAvn  jewels. 


80  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BERRY 

The  royal  family  took  their  places  in  the  choir. 
The  King's  chaplain-in-ordinary,  Abb^  de  Ville- 
neuve,  said  Mass.  The  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Berry 
went  forward  to  the  oblation  after  the  celebrant  had 
offered  the  paten  to  the  sovereign  to  be  kissed.  A 
candle  in  which  were  fastened  some  gold  pieces, 
whose  number  and  value  were  prescribed  by  ancient 
usage,  had  been  presented  in  the  name  of  the  two 
spouses.  The  Grand  Almoner  of  France  gave  the 
nuptial  benediction.  The  canopy  was  upheld  by 
Mgr.  de  Latil,  Bishop  of  Amicl(^e,  Monsieur's  first 
almoner,  and  by  Abb^  de  Bombelles,  first  almoner  to 
the  Duchess  of  Berry.  The  four  witnesses  were 
Marshal  Victor,  Duke  of  Belluna,  representing  the 
army;  Count  Barth^lemy,  the  Chamber  of  Peers;  M. 
Bellart,  the  Chamber  of  Deputies;  M.  de  Seze,  the 
Court  of  Cassation.  The  Grand  Almoner  delivered  a 
discourse  in  which  he  celebrated  the  royal  family,  — 
"that  family  not  alone  grand  beyond  comparison,  the 
most  illustrious  in  the  universe,  but  also  the  kindest 
and  most  paternal  that  ever  was."  He  exclaimed 
enthusiastically :  "  Yes,  Lord,  this  is  truly  the  special 
work  of  Thy  mercy,  and  an  admiring  silence  alone 
befits  our  gratitude."  After  exhorting  the  bride  to 
join  the  prudence  of  Rebecca  to  the  amiability  of 
Rachel,  the  goodness  of  Esther  to  the  fidelity  of  Sara, 
he  thus  terminated  his  discourse :  "  Be  thou  blessed, 
O  Princess,  daughter  of  our  Kings!  A  French- 
woman by  the  blood  flowing  in  your  veins,  and  the 
sentiments  it  has  transmitted,  which  to-day  return  to 


THE  MABBIAGE  81 


their  source  to  be  still  further  strengthened  and  per- 
fected, it  is  in  the  name  of  all  France,  in  the  name 
of  this  brave  and  religious  Prince,  and  of  that  heroic 
Princess  in  whose  company  you  will  find  such  virtu- 
ous examples,  that  we  address  to  you  the  prophetic 
desires  faithfully  accomplished  by  the  holy  family: 
Soror  nostra  es^  crescas  in  mille  millia.  You  are  of 
our  nation,  by  your  origin  you  belong  to  us,  you  are 
our  sister;  increase  in  a  thousand  ways;  multiply 
the  scions  of  a  stem  so  dear  to  us;  be  fruitful  in 
saints  and  heroes !  May  the  princes  to  be  born  of 
you  ever  follow  in  the  steps  of  their  ancestors, 
triumph  by  courage  and  virtue  over  all  their  enemies, 
and  forever  assure  the  welfare  of  peoples  and  the 
glory  of  religion !  " 

The  ceremony  was  over.  Salvos  of  artillery  an- 
nounced the  King's  return  to  the  palace  at  half-past 
three. 

*  In  the  evening  there  was  a  royal  game  of  cards  in 
the  Tuileries  at  seven  o'clock,  and  a  state  dinner  at 
night  in  the  private  theatre  at  nine.  More  than  six 
hundred  persons  were  in  the  gallery,  where  thirty 
card-tables  were  set.  Louis  XVIII.  played  with 
the  Duchess  of  Angouleme,  the  Duchess  of  Berry, 
and  several  other  ladies.  M.  d'Avaray  had  also  the 
honor  of  being  one  of  the  King's  party.  The  royal 
repast  was  afterwards  served  according  to  the  ancient 
ceremonial.  Only  the  royal  princes  and  princesses 
sat  down  at  the  King's  tabl-e;  the  princes  of  the 
blood  were  not  admitted.     The  Duke  of  Bourbon, 


82  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBRY 

who  as  Grand  Master  of  France  should  have  presided 
at  the  feast,  was  replaced  by  the  Grand  Chamberlain, 
Prince  Talleyrand. 

The  King  was  served  by  the  Duke  of  Escars,  first 
maitre  d' hotel.  When  he  desired  to  drink,  his  cup- 
bearer announced  it  in  a  loud  voice.  Behind  his 
armchair  stood  the  Grand  Almoner,  the  Grand 
Chamberlain,  and  other  persons  entitled  to  do  so  by 
their  places  at  court.  Everybody  remained  stand- 
ing, except  the  duchesses,  who  were  supplied  with 
stools.  Towards  the  end  of  the  repast  the  King's 
musicians  executed  several  j)ieces  and  cantatas  com- 
posed for  the  occasion,  and  the  diplomatic  body 
passed  before  the  King,  who  addressed  some  remarks 
to  nearly  all  the  representatives  of  the  Powers,  espe- 
cially to  the  Duke  of  Wellington. 

At  ten  o'clock  the  King  left  the  table.  People 
thought  he  was  fatigued.  Not  at  all.  At  half-past 
ten  he  called  for  a  carriage.  He  proposed  to  accom- 
pany the  wedded  pair  to  the  Elysee  palace  and  then 
return  to  the  Tuileries  by  the  Champs-Elys^es,  to 
see  the  illuminations,  which  were  splendid.  The 
principal  architectural  lines  of  the  Tuileries  were 
defined  by  bands  of  light.  The  Temple  of  Hymen  in 
the  garden  was  much  admired.  Transparencies  rep- 
resenting the  arms  of  France  upborne  by  genii  with 
garlands  of  olive  and  lily  crowned  .the  pediments  of 
the  facade.  Forty-four  columns  covered  with  lan- 
terns and  linked  together  by  bands  of  flame  gave  to 
this  radiant  monument  the  aspect  of  a  temple  built 
by  fairies. 


THE  EAELY  DAYS  OF  MAEEIAGE 

THE  impression  produced  by  the  young  Princess 
was  excellent.  From  the  day  of  her  entrance 
into  Paris,  her  white  robe,  the  clustering  white 
feathers  of  her  head-dress,  her  skin,  fair  as  her  robe, 
her  infantine  and  pleasing  face,  the  mingled  grace 
and  dignity  of  her  bearing,  had  excited  admiration. 
Baron  de  Fr^milly  wrote  concerning  her:  "Taken 
all  together,  she  is  very  agreeable,  and  seems  all  the 
more  so  because  we  had  been  told  that  she*  was  ugly, 
which  she  certainly  is  not."  People  thought  her 
wonderfully  well  dressed  at  the  ceremony  at  Notre 
Dame,  and  full  of  modesty  and  charm.  Baron  de 
Frdmilly  wrote  again:  "As  to  the  little  Duchess, 
all  Paris  is  as  much  in  love  with  her  as  her  husband 
is,  which  is  no  small  thing  to  say.  She  has  health, 
gaiety,  wit,  grace,  and  candor." 

The  first  days  of  marriage  were  spent  amidst  con- 
tinual festivities.  The  court  was  full  of  jollity,  and 
every  good  courtier  was  bound  to  seem  enchanted. 

Ju7ie  18.  —  The  newly  wedded  pair,  who  had 
installed  themselves  at  the  Elysee  the  day  before^ 
breakfasted  at  the  Tuileries  with  the  King,  the  Count 

83 


84  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEREY 

of  Artois,  and  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Angouleme. 
The  diplomatic  bodies  were  presented  when  Mass 
was  over,  and  the  Duchess  of  Berry  afterwards 
received  fifty  young  girls  dressed  in  white,  who 
offered  her,  on  behalf  of  the  Twelfth  Arrondissement 
(the  Faubourg  Saint-Marceau),  a  large  basket  of 
flowers  in  the  midst  of  which  were  two  turtle-doves 
softly  bedded  in  roses,  pansies,  and  immortelles. 
At  three  o'clock  the  husband  and  wife  returned  to 
the  Elysde,  to  go  from  there  to  Saint  Cloud.  The 
carelessness  of  the  coachman  caused  an  accident 
which,  happily,  had  no  ill  consequences.  In  pass- 
ing through  the  gate  of  the  rue  de  I'Echelle,  the 
carriage  struck  violently  against  a  post,  and  the  wheel 
broke,  but  neither  the  Duke  nor  the  Duchess  received 
any  injury.  They  dined  at  Saint  Cloud  with  the 
royal  family,  the  table  being  laid  for  forty  persons. 
The  principal  officers  of  the  Crown,  Marshal  Mac- 
donald,  the  captains  of  the  guards,  the  chief  nobility, 
and  several  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  court  were 
admitted  to  the  King's  table.  The  Duke  and  Duch- 
ess drove  around  tlie  j)ark  in  an  open  carriage,  saw 
the  great  waterworks  in  play,  and  returned  in  the 
evening  to  the  Elys^e. 

June  19.  —  M.  Charles  de  Remusat  wrote  to  his 
mother :  "  Our  marriage  is  concluded,  and  when  once 
this  evening's  ball  and  to-morrow's  review  are  over, 
no  one  will  think  any  more  about  it.  Everybody  is 
greatly  pleased.  The  festivities  have  been  less  bois- 
terous than  gay.     The  people  displayed  a  good  will 


THE  EARLY  BAYS   OF  MAEBIAGE  85 

and  subdued  joy  which  were  in  very  good  taste,  and 
a  hundred  times  preferable  to  convulsive  enthu- 
siasm." The  ball  at  the  Tuileries  was  magnificent. 
It  took  place  in  the  private  theatre,  which  was  lighted 
up  by  eighteen  large  chandeliers.  All  the  columns 
were  hung  with  garlands.  A  circle  of  richly  dressed 
ladies  filled  the  first  seats  of  the  three  tiers  of  boxes. 
The  Duke  of  Angouleme  opened  the  ball  with  the 
Duchess  of  Berry. 

June  20.  —  A  review  on  the  Champ-de-Mars. 
Benediction  and  distribution  of  flags  to  the  royal 
guard.  The  King,  in  the  uniform  of  a  colonel- 
general  of  the  guard,  left  the  palace  of  the  Tuileries 
at  12.30,  having  the  Duchesses  of  Angouleme  and 
Berry  with  him  in  his  open  carriage.  Monsieur 
the  Count  of  Artois  and  his  two  sons  accompanied 
the  carriage  on  horseback.  On  arriving  at  the 
Champ-de-Mars,  Louis  XVIII.  was  greeted  by  Mar- 
shal Macdonald,  Duke  of  Tarento,  major-general  of 
the  guard.  He  passed  the  troops  in  review  and  then 
sat  down  on  his  throne.  The  colonels  advanced  one 
by  one.  Marshal  Clarke,  Duke  of  Feltre  and  Minister 
of  War,  presented  the  flags  to  the  sovereign,  who, 
aided  by  his  brother,  inclined  the  head  of  the  staff 
first  to  the  Duchess  of  Angouleme  and  then  to  the 
Duchess  of  Berry.  The  two  Princesses  successively 
attached  the  tassels  to  the  flags  and  standards,  which 
were  then  given  back  by  Louis  XVIII.  to  the  colonels, 
who,  escorted  by  picked  companies  from  all  the  regi- 
ments, repaired  to  the  altar  that  had  been  erected  in 


86  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEllllY 

the  Cliamp-cle-Mars.  The  Grand  Ahiioner  of  France 
there  blessed  the  flags  and  standards  amidst  salvos  of 
artillery  from  the  royal  guards,  pronouncing  after- 
wards an  address  in  which  he  said :  — 

"  Gentlemen,  it  is  not  enough  for  the  royal  guard 
to  be  the  first  to  set  the  whole  army  an  example  of 
all  warlike  virtues ;  they  ought  also  to  be  the  model 
of  the  virtues  of  religion.  A  soldier  of  the  royal 
guard  should  be  a  Christian  soldier,  not  less  solici- 
tous to  serve  God  than  to  serve  his  King;  as  exact 
in  fulfilling  the  essential  obligations  of  religion  as 
in  obedience  to  the  orders  of  his  chiefs ;  seeking  to 
save  his  soul  as  well  as  to  perform  his  military 
duties,  he  should  be  convinced  that  piety  in  camps, 
far  from  being  a  defect  liable  to  weaken  souls, 
reassures  them,  on  the  contrary,  and  makes  them 
strong." 

When  the  review  was  over,  the  King  caused 
Marshal  Macdonald  to  approach,  and  said  to 
him :  — 

"  Marshal,  tell  my  royal  guard  how  pleased  I  am 
with  the  order,  perfect  discipline,  and  excellent 
spirit  I  have  observed  in  all  the  regiments.  Add 
that  I  feel  certain  they  will  defend  unto  death  the 
flags  they  have  just  received  from  their  father  and 
their  King.  Tell  them,  moreover,  that  like  the 
knights  of  old,  they  should  remember  the  hands  that 
fastened  on  their  tassels." 

In  returning  from  the  Champ-de-Mars  the  crowd 
halted  on  the  Place  Louis  XV.  to  witness  a  balloon 


THE  EARLY  DAYS   OF  MARBIAGE  87 

ascension.  Mademoiselle  Garnerin  went  up  in  a  bas- 
ket of  floAvers  wliich  served  lier  as  a  car.  AVhile  the 
balloon  was  rising,  the  young  aeronaut  saluted  the 
palace  of  the  Tuileries  by  waving  a  white  flag  embla- 
zoned Avith  lilies,  and  by  scattering  among  the  mul- 
titude couplets  and  verses  celebrating  the  marriage 
of  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Berry. 

On  the  same  day  (June  20),  the  municipality  of 
Paris  came  to  the  Elysee  to  congratulate  the  married 
pair,  and,  in  conformity  with  an  ancient  custom,  to 
offer  them  the  gifts  of  the  city,  consisting  of  perfumed 
torches  of  white  wax,  and  dried  fruits.  "Monsei- 
gneur,  Madame,"  said  the  prefect  of  the  Seine,  "the 
municipality  of  Paris,  in  presenting  its  respectful 
felicitations  to  Your  Royal  Highnesses,  comes  to 
offer  you  the  same  presents  which  our  fathers  offered 
to  your  ancestors.  This  modest  homage,  consecrated 
by  the  ancient  usage  of  the  monarchy,  attests  the 
simplicity  and  moderation  of  our  august  masters. 
We  have  preserved  its  character  with  religious 
respect,  assured  that  the  offering  which  comes  from 
the  heart  is  the  only  one  that  would  be  worthy  of 
you  and  that  could  be  accepted." 

June  21. — Gala  representation  at  the  Opera:  Les 
Dieux  rivaux,  ou  la  Fete  de  Cythere^  an  operatic  ballet 
in  one  act,  a  singular  mixture  of  mythology  and 
royalism. 

June  22.  —  The  Duke  of  Berry  gave  the  royal 
family  a  fete  and  a  dinner  at  Bagatelle.  During  the 
day  there  was  hunting  in  the  Bois  de  Boulogne. 


88  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEEBY 

June  23.  —  Theatricals  at  the  court.  The  opera 
troupe  played  the  Oaravane. 

While  these  festivities  were  in  progress,  the  more 
or  less  sincere  enthusiasm  of  the  official  world  was 
displayed  in  speeches  and  addresses  which  renewed, 
almost  word  for  word,  the  wishes,  the  homage,  and 
the  predictions  promising  the  advent  of  the  golden 
age  in  France,  which  had  been  used  six  years  before 
at  the  marriage  of  Napoleon  and  Marie  Louise. 
Nevertheless,  there  were  many  dark  clouds  in  this 
apparently  serene  sky.  The  government  was  carry- 
ing out  a  revengeful  system.  Throughout  the  king- 
dom the  assize  and  provost  courts  and  the  councils 
of  war  were  pronouncing  sentences  of  death.  The 
pardons  granted  on  account  of  the  marriage  of  the 
Duke  of  Berry  extended  to  none  of  those  condemned 
for  political  offences.  As  has  been  remarked  by  a 
royalist  historian,  M.  Alfred  Nettement,  the  public 
mind  remained  disunited  and  uneasy,  passions  were 
inflamed,  parties  irreconcilable,  and  the  festivities, 
like  fire-works  set  off  in  darkness,  only  lighted  up 
the  shadows  of  the  situation  for  a  moment,  without 
causing  them  to  disappear. 


XI 


THE   TUILERIES 


THE  Duchess  of  Berry  was  not  sorry  not  to  live 
in  the  Tuileries  palace,  a  gloomy  abode  in  spite 
of  its  eclat,  where  many  intrigues,  jealousies,  and 
rivalries  were  concealed  under  an  appearance  of 
inflexible  discipline  and  absolute  tranquillity.  The 
royal  family,  so  united  according  to  official  reports, 
was  in  reality  divided  against  itself.  Two  opposite 
systems  confronted  each  other,  and  Louis  XVIII. 
was  the  constant  object  of  criticisms,  all  the  keener 
because  they  were  obliged  to  remain  secret.  Between 
the  King  and  his  brother  there  existed  a  latent 
rivalry,  dating  back  to  the  old  regime,  and  daily 
becoming  too  prominent  for  any  shrewd  observer  to 
fail  to  notice  it.  If  the  Duchess  of  Berry  had  lived 
much  longer  with  them,  she  would  have  found  it 
difficult  to  satisfy  both  her  uncle  and  her  father-in- 
law. 

Louis  XVIII.  had  long  been  tormented  with  a 
gouty  tendency  which  frequently  endangered  his 
life.  The  ambitious  fancied  that  in  rallying  to  the 
party  of  which  the  heir  to  the  throne  was  the  secret 
head,  they  were  playing  a  skilful  game  and  opening 

89 


90  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BERRY 

the  ways  to  fortune  in  the  near  future.  Kept 
informed  of  all  that  was  going  on  by  his  favorite, 
Count  Decazes,  Minister  of  Police,  the  King  was 
not  ignorant  of  the  offensive  speeches  the  royalists 
made  about  him,  nor  of  the  joy  they  manifested 
whenever  disquieting  rumors  got  about  concerning 
the  state  of  his  health.  He  was  profoundly  embit- 
tered by  all  this,  and  had  as  little  confidence  in  his 
own  family  as  in  the  set  around  him. 

Such  a  situation  imposed  extreme  reserve  on  the 
attitude  and  language  of  the  courtiers.  Their  ante- 
cedents were  too  widely  diverse  to  permit  their  talk- 
ing politics  together.  All  conversation  of  that  sort 
would  necessarily  have  contained  wounding  allu- 
sions. Even  praise  was  dangerous.  To  laud  Louis 
XVIII.,  the  King  of  to-day,  was  implicitly  to  con- 
demn Monsieur,  the  King  of  to-morrow.  Criticism 
was  more  difficult  still.  For  some  time  it  had  been 
good  form  to  insult  Buonaparte,  But  this  fashion 
could  not  last.  What  family,  in  fact,  had  been  un- 
represented in  the  ranks  of  the  imperial  army?  how 
many  great  lords  and  ladies  had  held  no  place  in  the 
Emperor's  household  or  those  of  the  Empresses? 
Napoleon  was  no  longer  insulted  at  court;  a  pre- 
tence of  forgetfulness  was  made,  but  at  every  instant 
some  importunate  souvenir  of  him  sprang  to  life. 

In  bringing  men  of  the  most  widely  diverse  parties- 
around  him,  Louis  XVIII.  had  required  them  to 
respect  each  other.  Any  allusion  to  former  disputes 
would  have  been  severely  repressed.     Political  quar- 


TUB   TUILEIUES  91 


rels,  so  heated  elsewhere,  were  extinguished  on  the 
threshold  of  the  Tuileries,  where  reigned  those 
ancient  traditions  of  politeness,  so  long  the  boast 
of  French  society.  When  they  met  in  small  parties 
away  from  the  palace,  the  emigres  and  ultras  gave 
way  to  their  customary  "wranglings,  but  their  behav- 
ior at  the  Tuileries  was  always  irreproachable. 
Though  a  man  might  cordially  hate  M.  Decazes,  yet 
he  was  respectful  to  him,  because  M.  Decazes  was 
the  minister  of  the  King. 

As  an  epoch  of  transition  and  amalgamation 
between  the  most  widely  diverse  elements,  the 
Restoration  is  assuredly  one  of  the  most  singular 
periods  in  history.  Two  rival  worlds  encounter 
each  other  here :  the  last  glimmer  of  the  old  regime 
and  the  dawn  of  the  parliamentary  system;  the 
fusion  between  French  ideas  and  English  manners ; 
the  conflict  between  religious  minds  and  the  Vol- 
tairians, between  the  partisans  of  throne  and  altar 
and  the  revolutionists;  between  the  white  flag  and 
the  tricolor.  From  the  social,  political,  and  liter- 
ary point  of  view,  never  had  there  been  such  a  bril- 
liant shower  of  sparks  produced  by  the  concussion 
of  beliefs,  opinions,  principles,  and  ideas.  But 
such  debates  were  impossible  at  court,  where  the 
soldiers  of  Conde's  army  lived  in  perfect  harmony 
with  the  volunteer  republicans  of  1792.  The  pro- 
motion of  the  marshals  of  France,  which  took  place 
on  the  occasion  of  the  Duke  of  Berry's  marriage, 
contained  four  titularies :  two  emigres^  —  the  Duke  of 


92  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BERRY 

Coigny  and  the  Count  Viomenil,  and  two  soldiers  of 
the  Revolution  and  the  Empire,  —  Bournonville  and 
Clarke,  each  of  whom  had  been  Minister  of  War, 
one  during  the  Terror,  and  the  other  during  the  last 
days  of  Napoleon's  reign. 

Among  those  of  the  old  regime  who  presented 
themselves  at  court  a  mingled  feeling  of  satisfac- 
tion and  of  bitterness  prevailed.  They  were  glad  to 
have  recovered  their  houses  and  castles,  their  titles 
and  honors.  Past  catastrophes  gave  a  special  savor 
to  the  moral  and  material  well-being  they  enjoyed 
after  so  many  trials.  It  pleased  them  to  have  been 
proved  in  the  right  against  both  republicans  and 
imperialists.  They  said  to  themselves:  I  saw  how 
it  would  be.  My  predictions  are  fulfilled.  The 
usurper  is  at  Saint  Helena.  The  regicides  are  in 
exile.  The  old  aristocracy  has  risen  to  life  again 
although  its  enemies  believed  it  dead.  The  Fau- 
bourg Saint-Germain  sets  the  fashion.  Bonaparte's 
quondam  generals  are  very  jjroud  of  being  chamber- 
lains or  chief  equerries  of  the  King.  The  marshals 
think  more  of  the  blue  ribbon  of  the  order  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  than  of  the  red  ribbon  of  the  Legion  of 
Honor.  The  former  officers  of  the  imperial  guard 
aspire  after  the  cross  of  Saint  Louis. 

But  the  joy  of  the  royalists  was  not  unmixed. 
They  found  their  triumph  incomplete.  It  was  quite 
another  sort  of  Restoration  that  they  had  imagined. 
Louis  XVIII.  was  not  a  king  according  to  their  own 
hearts.     They  would  have  accused  him  of  Bonapart- 


THE   TUILEBIES  93 


ism  and  Jacobinism  if  they  had  dared.  Tliey  thought 
him  ungrateful  toward  the  emigres  and  the  Yen- 
deans.  While  the  five  children  of  Cathelineau,  the 
commander-in-chief  of  the  Yendean  army,  vegetated 
in  poverty,  Robespierre's  sister  received  an  annual 
pension  of  six  thousand  francs.  The  government  did 
not  even  pay  the  expenses  of  the  last  campaign  in 
Yend^e,  that  of  1815,  which  had,  nevertheless,  been 
undertaken  only  by  the  King's  command,  and  they 
had  to  be  met  by  the  officers.  And  yet  at  the  same 
time,  the  arrears  due  for  the  expenses  of  the  Republic 
and  the  Empire,  and  even  those  of  the  Hundred 
Days,  were  paid  without  examination.  To  the 
Smigres  a  government  which  did  not  restore  national 
property  to  its  former  owners  was  simply  a  continu- 
ation of  the  Revolution.  The  most  discontented  of 
all  were  perhaps  Louis  XYIII. 's  companions  in 
exile,  the  courtiers  of  Mittau  and  Hartwell,  who,  hav- 
ing been  present  in  time  of  trial  thought  they  had  a 
right  to  form  part  of  the  triumph.  These  could  not 
console  themselves  for  the  preferment  of  a  Pasquier, 
a  Mounier,  a  Portalis,  a  Simeon,  a  Decazes.  The 
favors  heaped  by  the  King  upon  Napoleon's  favorites 
seemed  to  them  an  insult  to  monarchy,  a  blow  aimed 
at  royalty  by  the  King  himself.  They  could  hardly 
conceal  their  exasperation  under  an  enforced  polite- 
ness. When,  on  September  5,  1816,.  Louis  XYIII. 
issued  his  celebrated  decree  dissolving  the  Chamber 
of  Deputies,  described  as  the  undiscoverable  cham- 
ber, the  fury  of  the  ultras  knew  no  bounds.     They 


94  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BERBY 

were  obliged  to  put  an  almost  superhuman  pressure 
on  themselves  to  prevent  its  exploding  in  the  palace 
itself. 

It  was  said  that  no  one  but  Queen  Hortense,  his 
former  friend,  could  have  inspired  M.  Decazes  with 
a  measure  so  fatal  to  royalty.  A  story  was  told  of 
one  noble  lady  whose  indignation  was  so  great  that 
she  ordered  her  chambermaid  to  take  the  bust  of 
Louis  XVIII.  from  the  salon  to  the  garret,  using  the 
most  slighting  expressions  concerning  him  as  she  did 
so.  As  soon  as  he  learned  that  the  famous  decree 
which  excited  such  anger  had  been  signed,  Chateau- 
briand added  the  following  postscript  to  his  just 
finished  work.  La  Monarchie  selon  la  Charte :  "  Good 
Frenchmen  must  not  lose  courage,  but  crowd  to  the 
elections ;  only,  let  them  beware  of  a  trap  very  diffi- 
cult for  us  to  avoid.  People  will  talk  to  them  of  the 
King  and  his  will.  French  hearts  will  be  moved, 
tears  will  start;  when  they  hear  the  King's  name 
they  will  take  off  their  hats  and  accept  the  ballot 
offered  by  a  hostile  hand,  and  deposit  it  in  the  urn. 
Suspect  the  snare;  save  the  King  in  any  case!  " 

While  the  ultras  maintained  that  Louis  XVIII. , 
a  prisoner  in  his  own  palace,  was  delivered  up  to  the 
tyranny  of  his  ministers,  the  sovereign  considered 
himself  perfectly  free  at  the  Tuileries,  and  derided 
the  fury  of  the  extreme  monarchists.  After  the 
elections,  Chateaubriand  wrote  in  a  rage:  "Bona- 
parte made  use  of  revolutionists  while  despising 
them;  now,  people  Avant  to  use   and   honor  them. 


THE  TUILEBIES  95 


The  royalists  are  in  consternation  at  this.  Could 
they  have  believed  that  apostles  of  legitimacy  would 
be  sought  among  such  agents  ?  Could  they  possibly 
understand  such  an  inversion  of  ideas  ?  The  Jaco- 
bins have  issued  from  their  dens,  uttering  howls  of 
joy  that  have  been  heard  by  their  brethren  throughout 
Europe ;  they  have  presented  themselves  at  the  elec- 
tions full  of  surprise  at  having  been  called  thither, 
and  astonished  to  see  themselves  caressed  as  the  real 
upholders  of  monarchy." 

The  Duchess  of  Berry  took  good  care  not  to  mingle 
in  these  quarrels,  and  whenever  she  repaired  to  the 
Tuileries,  bringing  joy  and  gaiety  with  her,  she 
avoided  speaking  of  politics,  not  only  with  the  King 
and  the  princes,  but  with  the  ministers  and  courtiers. 


XII 


THE  ELYSEE 


THE  residence  of  the  Duke  and  Ducliess  of  Berry 
was  the  Elys^e.  This  pleasant  palace,  so 
well  situated,  elegant,  and  agreeable,  was  called 
the  Elys^e-Bourbon  at  the  time,  in  memory  of  the 
Duchess  of  Bourbon,  who  had  owned  it  toward  the 
close  of  the  eighteenth  century.  It  was  suggestive 
of  many  reflections  upon  the  vicissitudes  of  human 
affairs.  Built  by  the  Count  of  Evreux  in  1718, 
inhabited  several  days  by  Madame  de  Pompadour, 
sold  in  1773  to  Beaujon  the  financier,  bought  by  the 
Duchess  of  Bourbon  in  1780,  it  became  national 
property  during  the  Revolution,  and  was  let  to  some 
contractors  for  public  fetes,  who  transformed  it  into 
ballrooms  and  gambling  saloons,  and  called  it  the 
Elys^e.  Murat  acquired  possession  of  it  in  1803, 
and  relinquished  it  to  Napoleon  in  1808.  It  was 
then  occupied  by  the  Empress  Josephine  for  some 
time  after  the  divorce,  and  Napoleon  spent  part  of 
the  Hundred  Days  there.  It  was  from  there  he 
started,  at  first  for  Waterloo,  afterwards  to  Saint 
Helena.  It  was  from  there  also  that  the  Duke  of 
Berry  departed  before  falling  under  the  poniard,  of 
96 


THE  ELYSEE.  97 


an  assassin.  But  no  fatal  presentiment  clouded  the 
Prince's  mind  in  1816.  All  things  wore  a  smiling 
aspect  for  him,  and  he  enjoyed  his  happiness  in 
peace. 

Born  at  Versailles,  January  24,  1778,  the  Duke 
of  Berry  was  thirty-eight  years  old  at  the  time  of  his 
marriage.  But  his  gait,  his  manners,  and  his  tastes 
were  those  of  a  young  man.  Chateaubriand  has 
drawn  this  portrait  of  him,  like,  though  possibly  a 
trifle  flattered :  — 

"  His  head,  like  that  of  the  chief  of  the  Capets, 
was  large,  with  tangled  hair,  a  broad  forehead,  a 
ruddy  face,  staring  blue  eyes,  and  thick  red  lips. 
His  neck  was  short,  and  his  shoulders  rather  high, 
like  those  of  all  great  military  families.  The  breast 
wherein  his  heart  beat  without  suspicion  or  fear 
afforded  plenty  of  room  for  the  poniard.  Mgr.  the 
Duke  of  Berry  was  of  medium  stature,  like  Louis 
XIV.  He  looked  brave,  and  the  expression  of  his 
face  was  candid  and  clever.  His  gait  was  active, 
his  action  prompt,  his  glance  steady,  intelligent, 
and  kindly,  and  his  smile  charming.  He  expressed 
himself  with  elegance  in  ordinary  conversation,  w^ith 
clearness  when  discussing  public  affairs,  and  with 
eloquence  when  moved  by  passion.  One  saw  in  him 
the  prince,  the  soldier,  the  man  who  had  suffered, 
and  felt  drawn  toward  him  by  the  mingled  bluntness 
and  good  grace  pervading  his  whole  person." 

The  Duke  of  Berry  appreciated  his  happiness  all 
the  more  because  his  youth  had  been  so  full  of  trials 


98  TRE  DUCRESS  OF  BEBRY 

and  difficulties.  Exiled  from  France  in  1789,  at  the 
age  of  eleven,  he  did  not  see  his  native  land  again 
until  1814.  He  was  barely  sixteen  when  he  enlisted 
as  a  volunteer  in  Condi's  army,  and  he  won  every 
advancement  in  rank  at  the  sword's  point.  He  was 
bent  on  being  present  in  the  least  skirmish  as  well 
as  in  battles,  and  when  reminded  that  he  might  be 
wounded,  exclaimed:  "So  much  the  better;  that 
will  do  honor  to  the  family."  He  wrote  to  a  woman: 
"War  is  about  to  begin.  The  princes  will  be  in  it. 
For  the  honor  of  the  corps,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that 
some  of  us  may  be  killed."  Among  his  comrades 
in  arms  he  gained  a  great  reputation  for  frankness 
and  loyalty,  boldness  and  courage.  He  preferred 
camp  life  to  any  other.  When  he  was  not  fighting 
he  was  travelling  all  over  Europe,  where  he  knew 
the  princijjal  languages.  In  1800  he  visited  Naples 
and  Rome,  took  up  the  study  of  painting  and  music, 
and  learned  to  play  several  instruments.  He  sang 
well  and  drew  fairly,  especially  military  subjects ;  he 
understood  pictures  thoroughly.  He  was  a  gentle- 
man, a  soldier,  and  an  artist. 

Great  resemblances  in  character  existed  between 
the  married  pair;  they  had  the  same  frankness, 
enthusiasm,  and  gaiety,  the  same  love  for  the  arts, 
and  the  same  thirst  for  pleasure.  The  Duke  became 
attached  at  once  to  his  young  companion.  Neither 
pretty  nor  ugly,  she  had  the  charm  and  sprightliness 
of  youth,  fair  curly  hair,  a  keen  glance,  a  fine  expres- 
sion,  a  slender  figure,   and  a  graceful  walk.     Her 


THE  ELY  SEE  99 


nature  was  impulsive,  her  conversation  amusing  and 
sometimes  girlish,  her  mind  free  from  prejudices, 
her  devotion  pleasing  and  in  nowise  austere,  her 
animation  southern,  and,  so  to  say,  sunbeaten.  She 
never  gave  the  slightest  occasion  for  calumny  or 
detraction  throughout  her  married  life.  A  faithful 
wife,  she  and  her  husband  lived  most  happily 
together.  Both  the  court  and  the  city  rendered  her 
justice.  All  was  innocent  in  her  passion  for  pleas- 
ure.    People  liked  and  respected  her. 

How  well  M.  de  Pontmartin  has  described  this 
woman,  Italian  by  birth,  education,  and  instinct, 
who  became  a  Frenchwoman  at  seventeen;  "this 
flower  of  Ischia  and  Castellamare,  transplanted  to  the 
shores  of  the  Seine,  under  the  gray  sky  of  Paris,  in 
that  palace  of  the  Tuileries  which  the  revolutions 
had  peopled  with  so  many  phantoms  before  convert- 
ing it  also  into  a  spectre  "!  How  well  the  eminent 
critic  sums  up  in  a  few  words  the  r61e  of  the  bride 
in  that  court  dominated  by  the  note  of  gravity,  over- 
shadowed by  clouds  of  sadness,  where  the  ceremonial 
of  the  old  regime  reappeared,  bristling  with  the  con- 
straints of  etiquette.  "She  represents  the  future, 
youth,  joy,  smiles,  radiance  and  the  dawn  in  the 
royal  family  which  welcomes  her  as  daughter  by 
adoption  and  the  harbinger  of  its  approaching  des- 
tinies ;  just  as  the  Duchess  of  Angouleme  personifies 
the  past,  majesty,  sanctity,  tradition,  the  immortal 
melancholy  of  a  soul  which  seems  to  live  on  the  steps 
of  a  throne,  but  which  exists  only  by  and  through  the 


100  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BEBRT 

souvenirs  of  the  Temple  and  the  visions  of  heaven. 
The  contrast  is  striking.  Charming  women,  elegant 
patricians,  group  themselves  around  Marie  Caroline 
who  might,  without  flattery,  be  called  a  charmingly 
plain  woman.  Her  blunt  and  good-natured  husband 
lends  himself  all  the  more  readily  to  her  taste  for 
pleasure  because  he  shares  it,  and  possibly  grants 
much  in  order  to  be  excused  something.  They  dance 
and  amuse  themselves,  they  promenade,  frequent  the 
theatres,  protect  artists,  visit  studios,  buy  pictures, 
run  the  risks  of  the  Opera  ball,  and  the  young  Prin- 
cess is  never  happier  than  when  she  can  remember 
that  she  is  young,  and  forget  that  she  is  a  princess." 
The  little  court  of  the  Elysee  bore  no  resemblance 
to  the  solemn  and  severe  court  of  the  Tuileries. 
The  heavy  yoke  of  etiquette  weighed  but  lightly  on 
the  new-married  pair,  who  enjoyed  the  simplicity  of 
an  almost  bourgeois  existence.  They  often  went  out 
together  on  foot  and  unattended,  through  the  gate 
opening  on  the  Champs-Elys^ es,  and  going  down  the 
avenue  mingled  with  the  promenaders,  who  recog- 
nized and  saluted  them  with  respectful  sympathy. 
People  met  them  in  the  shops,  where  they  did  a  good 
deal  of  buying,  and  paid  very  dear  for  all  they  bought. 
Their  alms  amounted  to  more  than  a  hundred  thou- 
sand crowns  a  year,  and  they  often  went  in  person 
to  visit  the  poor  whom  they  assisted.  The  military 
bluntness  of  the  Duke  combined  great  simplicity 
and  real  goodness,  and  was  not  unpleasing,  espe- 
cially to  people  in  humble  circumstances,  who  always 


THE  EL  YSEE  •.•'•'.;.  ,l:(itl 


like  to  have  princes  on  familiar  terms  with  them. 
As  to  the  Duchess,  she  was  grace  and  attractiveness 
itself  in  her  relations  with  persons  of  all  social  ranks 
whatever.  The  pair  took  part  in  all  the  agreeable 
incidents  of  Parisian  life,  in  festivities  and  first  rep- 
resentations ;  they  went  to  the  minor  theatres,  they 
visited  the  studios  of  the  principal  artists,  who  recog- 
nized a  connoisseur  in  the  Duke  at  a  glance.  The 
Duchess  painted,  and  the  Duke  spent  hours  in  paint- 
ing beside  her.  This  life  so  tranquil  and  well  occu- 
pied by  the  arts  and  beneficence  made  them  both 
•popular.  The  young  wife  conciliated  everybody. 
She  pleased  the  King,  Monsieur,  and  the  austere 
Duchess  of  Angouleme.  In  a  time  of  pamphlets 
and  violent  animosities  she  was  respected  by  all  par- 
ties without  exception.  She  lived  on  good  terms 
with  the  ultras  and  also  with  M.  Decazes.  Making 
no  distinctions  between  the  SmigrSs  and  the  quondam 
Bonapartists  so  far  as  her  own  amiability  was  con- 
cerned, she  meddled  with  none  of  the  court  intrigues. 
The  fury  of  the  Faubourg  Saint-Germain  at  the  time 
of  the  dissolution  of  the  " undiscoverable  chamber" 
left  her  indifferent.  Domestic  happiness  sufficed 
her  for  all  things.  This  woman,  destined  to  endure 
so  many  trials  and  to  pass  through  so  many  vicissi- 
tudes and  catastrophes,  did  not  even  suspect  the 
snares  of  every  kind  which  already  surrounded  her, 
and,  satisfied  with  the  present,  she  looked  forward  to 
the  future  with  all  the  confident  illusions  of  youth. 


XIII 


THE  FIRST   SOEEOW 


HAPPY  as  she  was  at  the  beginning  of  her  mar- 
ried life,  the  Duchess  of  Berry  soon  beheld 
her  joy  troubled  by  a  first  sorrow,  the  forerunner  of 
the  deceptions  and  griefs  fate  held  in  store  for  her. 
In  the  Quotidienne  we  read :  — 

"  To-day  is  the  17th  of  June,  the  anniversary  of 
the  marrifi-ge  of  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Berry. 
We  recall  the  joy  testified  by  all  France  to  the  King 
and  the  royal  family  on  that  occasion.  Since  Heaven 
has  blessed  the  union  by  deigning  to  promise  a  new 
scion  from  this  august  stem,  the  satisfaction  of 
France  is  greater  still,  and  it  awaits  with  confidence 
the  happy  moment  which  shall  crown  it.  Gentle, 
good,  lively,  and  truly  French,  the  young  Princess 
wins  the  respect,  affection,  and  gratitude  of  all  who 
have  the  honor  to  approach  her.  The  attachment 
felt  for  her  by  her  illustrious  spouse,  the  sentiments 
entertained  by  the  King,  so  good  a  judge  of  merit, 
the  paternal  love  whose  proofs  are  lavished  on  her  by 
Monsieur,  the  applause  which  greets  her  wherever 
she  appears,  all  prove  how  worthy  she  is  to  be  cher- 
ished; and  if  she  were  not  so  modest  she  would  be 

102 


J  >    >  J 


THE  FIRST  SOPiBOW  lO-^ 

proud  of  her  success.  May  the  pious  and  faithful 
subjects  of  the  King  obtain  from  Providence  a  new- 
successor  to  the  throne  of  the  Bourbons,  —  those 
Bourbons  who  in  all  times  have  been  distinguished 
by  their  affability,  goodness,  and  beneficence." 

Royalist  France  was  in  expectation.  The  Moni- 
teur  of  July  11,  1817,  said:  — 

"  Every  arrangement  has  been  made  for  informing 
the  King  so  that  His  Majesty  may  at  once  repair  to 
the  Elysee-Bourbon,  as  well  as  Their  Royal  High- 
nesses and  others  whose  rank  or  duty  may  invite 
their  presence.  The  happy  event  so  impatiently 
awaited  will  be  announced  by  a  salvo  of  artillery. 
Twenty-four  guns  will  be  fired  if  a  prince  is  born^ 
and  twelve  if  it  be  a  princess." 

Madame  de  R^rausat  had  written  to  her  husband 
on  July  7 :  "  The  Duchess  of  Berry  is  near  her  time, 
and  we  are  all  expecting  the  birth  from  one  minute 
to  another.  It  w^ould  be  good  if  it  came  to-morrow> 
for  the  anniversary  of  the  second  entry  of  the  King. 
They  have  had  the  politeness  to  exhibit  Gerard's  fine 
and  much-expected  picture,  la  Rentree  cf  Henri  IV, 
dans  Paris^  for  that  day.  The  allusion  is  in  good 
taste."  Again,  on  July  10:  "Here  all  ears  are 
cocked  to  hear  the  cannon  which  are  to  announce  the 
delivery  of  Madame  the  Duchess  of  Berry.  She  has 
been  suffering  a  little  for  two  days,  and  we  are  ex- 
pecting the  little  prince.  The  King's  carriage  is 
hai-nessed  up  night  and  day,  and  the  court  and  the 
ministers  have  been  warned  to  be  in  readiness ;  for  it 


I'r.c'  iM.rr '''''''   THE  DUCHESS  OF  BERRY 

seems  they  desire  that  the  delivery  should  take  place 
in  presence  of  a  numerous  assemblage.  Madame  de 
Montsoreau  has  been  appointed  governess.  The 
King  looked  very  well  indeed  last  Wednesday.  It 
was  splendid  weather.  All  Paris  was  out  on  the 
boulevard,  crying,  '  Long  live  the  King ! '  I  remarked 
that  nobody  cheered  on  the  terrace  of  the  H6tel  de 
Gontaut,  where  we  had  so  many  great  ladies.  The 
King  did  not  seem  at  all  affected  by  it." 

On  Sunday,  July  13,  1817,  at  twenty-five  minutes 
past  eleven  in  the  morning,  at  the  Elys^e-Bourbon 
palace,  the  Duchess  of  Berry  brought  a  daughter  into 
the  world,  whose  certificate  of  birth  designated  her 
as  the  "very  high  and  powerful  Princess  Louise 
Isabelle  of  Artois,  Mademoiselle,  granddaughter  of 
France."  Those  present  at  her  birth  were  the  King, 
Monsieur,  the  Duchess  of  Angouleme,  the  Duke  of 
Angouleme,  the  Duke  of  Berry,  Mademoiselle  of 
Orleans,  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  the  Duchess  of  Bour- 
bon, the  dowager  Duchess  of  Orleans,  the  Prince  of 
Cond^,  the  Duke  of  Uz^s,  the  Duke  of  Richelieu, 
the  Count  of  Pradel,  the  Marquis  of  Breze,  the  Duke 
of  Luynes,  Chancellor  Dambray,  and  the  Count  of 
S^monville.  In  the  evening  the  theatres,  in  token 
of  joy,  gave  pieces  composed  for  the  occasion,  full 
of  enthusiasm  and  monarchical  protestations. 

Madame  de  Remusat  wrote  to  her  husband  the 
next  day :  "  I  must  stop  everything  else  to  tell  you 
that  Madame  the  Duchess  of  Berry  was  brought  to 
bed  yesterday  morning  with  a  daughter.     The  whole 


THE  FIB  ST  SOBBOW  105 

royal  family  were  not  only  present  at  the  delivery, 
but  remained  in  the  chamber  itself,  and  the  chan- 
cellor, the  ministers,  and  high  personages  of  the 
court  were  very  near  at  hand.  When  it  was  over, 
the  King  went  into  the  salon  where  his  ministers 
were,  and  said  to  them ;  '  Gentlemen,  they  (belles')  are 
both  doing  well. '     Twelve  guns  were  fired. 

"Everybody  began  to  count;  then  they  said:  'It  is 
a  daughter, '  and  picked  up  the  thread  of  their  dis- 
course. The  little  Princess  will  be  called  Made- 
moiselle ;  she  was  held  at  the  baptismal  font  by  the 
King  and  his  aunt,  the  Duchess  of  Orleans.  Last 
night  the  houses  were  illuminated." 

Unfortunately,  the  very  high  and  powerful  Prin- 
cess, as  she  was  called  in  the  birth  certificate, 
died  almost  immediately.  The  Moniteur  of  July  16 
said :  — 

«  Paris,  July  15. 

"  The  happy  deliverance  of  Madame  the  Duchess 
of  Berry  gladdened  all  hearts ;  every  one  shared  in 
the  joy  of  the  royal  family.  Imagination,  looking 
into  the  future,  took  pleasure  in  embellishing  the 
life  of  the  august  infant  whom  Heaven  had  given  to 
France ;  some  day  she  would  have  all  the  graces  and 
virtues  of  her  mother.  This  earliest  pledge  of 
fecundity  opened  our  hearts  to  newer  hopes;  nor 
are  these  hopes  torn  from  us ;  we  do  not  doubt  their 
realization.  But  was  it  necessary  that  sorrow  and 
mourning  should  so  soon  replace  delight?  Made- 
moiselle is  no  more.  .   .  .     She  lived  only  two  days. 


106  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBBY 

Last  evening  we  were  apprised  of  the  loss  we  had 
just  suffered.  The  Princess  died  between  eight  and 
nine  o'clock.  The  royal  family  are  plunged  in 
sadness.  We  have  shared  their  joy;  we  weep  with 
them.  Nothing  can  equal  the  grief  of  Mgr.  the 
Duke  of  Berry.  If  anything  can  lessen  the  pain 
caused  by  this  cruel  event,  it  is  the  certainty  that 
the  health  of  the  Duchess  of  Berry  occasions  not  the 
least  uneasiness." 

Madame  de  Remusat  wrote,  July  15 :  "  Here  is  a 
misfortune,  my  friend ;  the  poor  little  Princess  died 
yesterday  morning ;  she  was  choked  by  something,  I 
don't  know  what,  and  in  a  convulsion.  They  say 
the  King  is  greatly  afflicted,  and  he  has  reason  to 
be ;  for  although  this  loss  may  be  easily  repaired,  yet 
it  will  have  a  bad  popular  effect  which  one  would  be 
glad  to  get  over.  ...  I  don't  like,  either,  this  rain 
which  begins  with  the  moon  and  falls  on  the  cut  rye. 
I  am  rather  blue  this  morning." 

At  nine  o'clock,  July  16,  the  King  went  to  the 
Elysee  and  spent  an  hour  with  the  Duke  of  Berry. 

"The  sorrow  of  the  Prince,"  said  the  Moniteur, 
"was  somewhat  lessened  by  the  monarch's  paternal 
consolations;  they  solaced  their  hearts  by  blending 
their  tears.  Let  them  not  ignore  the  public  afflic- 
tion. It  is  the  guarantee  of  the  love  and  gratitude 
we  bear  the  royal  family.  May  these  sentiments 
contribute  to  calm  the  sorrow  of  the  august  spouses, 
and  may  a  prospering  Heaven  cause  long  years  of 
happiness  to  succeed  these  days  of  sadness!  " 


THE  FIBST  SOBBOW  107 

Madame  de  R^musat  wrote  the  same  day  to  her 
husband,  then  prefect  of  Lille :  — • 

"  Paris,  Wednesday  Evening,  July  16,  1817. 

"The  King  has  put  a  good  face  on  the  death  of 
the  Princess.  Monsieur  is  profoundly  afflicted,  and 
the  Duke  of  Berry  is  perfect  to  his  young  wife,  who 
weeps  bitterly.  The  Duke  of  Orleans  has  offered 
condolences  to  Monsieur,  who  answered  him  in  an 
obliging  tone:  'If  we  needed  princes,  we  should 
know  where  to  find  them. '  Popular  gossip  was  un- 
pleasant and  was  kept  up  for  eight  hours ;  afterwards, 
nobody  thought  anything  more  about  it.  Rumor  says 
Madame  the  Duchess  of  Berry  can  have  no  more 
children;  I  hope  she  will  soon  give  the  lie  to  that; 
the  Orleans  are  talked  about  a  little  more.  All 
this  will  quiet  down.  The  rye  is  coming  up  again ; 
they  say  it  is  doing  well  and  that  it  fell  too  quickly. 
It  would  have  been  bad  if  the  rain  had  lasted;  but 
the  weather  is  fine  to-day  and  the  barometers  are 
rising." 

At  the  same  moment  the  mortal  remains  of  the 
little  Princess  were  being  transported  to  Saint  Denis. 
She  had  been  put  in  a  coffin  covered  with  white  satin, 
on  which  was  a  red  plaque  bearing  this  inscription : 
"  Here  is  the  body  of  the  very  high  and  very  power- 
ful Princess  Louise  Isabelle  of  Artois,  Mademoiselle, 
granddaughter  of  France,  daughter  of  the  very  high 
and  very  powerful  Prince  Charles  Ferdinand  of 
Artois,   Duke  of  Berry,  and  of  the  very  high  and 


108  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BEBBT 

very  powerful  Princess  Caroline  Ferdinande  Louise, 
Princess  of  the  Two  Sicilies,  died  at  Paris,  in  the 
Elys  de-Bourbon  palace,  July  14, 1817,  aged  one  day.'* 

The  coffin  was  exposed  during  the  day,  July  16, 
in  a  hall  of  the  Elysde,  on  a  platform  decorated  with 
white  draperies  studded  with  escutcheons.  At  nine 
in  the  evening  it  was  placed  in  the  carriage  destined 
to  transport  it  to  Saint  Denis.  It  was  accompanied 
by  the  Count  of  Rochemore,  master  of  ceremonies, 
the  chief  officers  of  the  household,  and  all  persons  in 
the  service  of  the  Prince  and  Princess.  The  bells 
tolled  when  the  convoy  reached  the  abbey,  the  necrop- 
olis of  the  Kings  of  France.  The  royal  guard 
formed  a  line  on  the  right,  and  the  National  Guard 
of  Saint  Denis  on  the  left.  The  Marquis  of  Dreux- 
Brdzd,  grand  master  of  ceremonies,  came  to  receive 
the  body  at  the  principal  door  of  the  church.  The 
Duchess  of  Levis  and  the  Viscountess  de  Gontaut 
carried  the  corners  of  the  pall.  "The  entire  interior 
of  the  -nave  and  choir  was  hung  with  white  draperies, 
sprinkled  with  lilies  and  the  royal  arms.  The  Abbe 
Bombelles,  first  almoner  to  the  Duchess  of  Berry, 
said  to  the  dean  and  canons  of  Saint  Denis :  "  Gen- 
tlemen, on  presenting,  by  the  King's  express  com- 
mand, S.  A.  R.  Mademoiselle,  in  order  to  conduct 
her  beneath  these  sacred  arches  to  the  last  abode 
of  the  kings  her  ancestors,  we  will  say  with  the 
Preacher :  — 

"She  appeared  like  the  bow  which  shines  in  a 
luminous  sky,  and  like  the  rose  that  buds  in  spring- 


THE  FIEST  SOBROW  109 

time.  But  a  few  days  have  elapsed  since  this  rose 
was  born  in  the  midst  of  all  that  is  greatest  on  earth ; 
by  her  beauty  and  freshness  she  promised  all  that 
could  assure  her  preservation.  Alas!  in  less  than 
twelve  hours  she  passed  from  the  most  perfect  life 
into  sufferings  which  hastened  her  death.  Such  an 
unexpected  end  rends  the  authors  of  her  being  with 
grief  and  overwhelms  us  with  sadness.  We  share 
also  the  consolations  imparted  to  a  cherished  race  by 
the  religion  that  penetrates  them.  Mademoiselle, 
regenerated  in  the  waters  of  baptism,  and  never 
soiled  by  any  imperfection,  is  henceforward  the 
angel  of  the  country,  an  angel  who,  reunited  in 
heaven  to  the  saints  of  her  family,  will  draw  upon 
them  and  us  the  blessings  of  the  Lord." 

The  Duchess  (then  Viscountess)  of  Gontaut  has 
written  in  her  Memoirs :  '*  I  was  appointed  to  accom- 
pany the  convoy  of  the  little  Princess.  It  took 
place  at  midnight,  escorted  by  body-guards  carrying 
torches.  The  church  was  solitary  and  the  royal 
vault  open.  This  young  scion  of  the  royal  race  was 
laid  at  the  foot  of  Louis  XVI.  's  tomb.  A  profound 
night,  a  pious  silence  interrupted  only  by  the  sound 
of  footsteps  and  of  weapons,  saddened  the  heart.  At 
her  waking,  Madame  the  Duchess  of  Angouleme 
summoned  me,  wishing  to  know  the  details  of  this 
sorrowful  night.  I  said  I  had  prayed  near  the  coffin 
which  contained  the  precious  remains  of  the  Martyr 
King;  she  took  my  hand,  pressed  it  to  her  heart,  and 
wept;  I  was  profoundly  affected." 


110  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEERY 

In  his  powerful  and  judicious  Histoire  de  la  Bes- 
tauration,  Baron  de  Viel-Castel  says  concerning  the 
death  we  have  just  narrated :  — 

"  The  royal  infant,  Mademoiselle,  as  she  was  called, 
had  solemn  obsequies  at  Saint  Denis,  and  a  court 
abbd  pronounced  even  on  this  occasion  a  sort  of 
funeral  oration,  in  which,  not  being  able  to  bestow 
other  praises,  he  vaunted  her  beauty  and  freshness. 
The  Moniteur  deplored  in  emphatic  terms  a  grief 
which  could  not  have  been  felt  very  keenly  by  any 
but  the  Duchess  of  Berry.  Even  a  poet  was  found 
to  celebrate  her  death  as  if  it  had  been  a  public 
calamity.  These  dull  flatteries  are  part  of  the  little- 
nesses inherent  in  all  courts." 

For  once  our  sentiment  is  not  wholly  in  accord 
with  that  of  the  eminent  historian.  Whether  the 
mother  be  a  princess  or  a  woman  of  the  people,  the 
loss  of  a  new-born  child  is  a  grief,  a  disappointment, 
a  despair  fitted  to  inspire  profound  compassion. 
France  was  in  the  right  when  it  grew  tender  over 
the  first  sorrow  of  the  amiable  Duchess  of  Berry. 
The  griefs  of  princesses  are  symbolic  of  those  of 
other  women.  How  many  poor  mothers,  when  they 
read  the  Moniteur^  said  to  themselves :  "  And  I  too 
have  suffered  thus. " 


XIV 

1818 

THE  Duchess  of  Berry  possessed  great  elasticity 
of  character  and  a  fund  of  southern  gaiety 
which  quickly  sprang  up  again,  even  after  the  most 
painful  trials.  Her  gracious  and  amiable  nature 
was  not  made  for  sad  reflections  and  sombre  medi- 
tations. Storms  affected  her  keenly,  but  the  rain- 
bow soon  came  to  brighten  her  heart  and  mind." 
August  6,  1817,  for  the  first  time  after  childbed,  she 
walked  out  in  the  Elys^e  gardens,  leaning  on  her 
husband's  arm.  On  the  26th  of  the  same  month, 
a  performance  given  at  the  Opera  in  aid  of  the  pen- 
sion fund  was  honored  by  her  presence.  The  31st, 
she  went  to  Suresnes  in  a  carriage  drawn  by  eight 
horses,  where  the  clergy  formally  received  her,  and 
where  she  crowned  the  rosiere  ^  in  the  village  church. 
October  7  she  visited  the  Sevres  manufactory,  the 
14th  the  Savonnerie  carpet  manufacton',  the  Gobelin 
manufactory  on  the  31st,  and  the  Mint  on  Novem- 
ber 14. 

At  the  beginning  of    1818  the  young   Princess, 
then  more  than  ever  esteemed  by  the  court  and  the 

1 A  young  girl  who  has  obtained  a  prize  for  virtuous  conduct. 

Ill 


112  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BERBY 

city,  seemed  happy  and  consoled.  Her  extreme 
kindliness  made  friends  for  her  in  all  quarters.  Her 
conversation,  always  agreeable  and  never  affected, 
had  charm  and  animation.  Both  in  face  and  charac- 
ter, in  ideas  and  impressions,  she  was  very  young. 
People  found  her  simple,  affable,  and  natural,  and 
they  liked  to  see  her  enjoy  life  and  pleasure,  and,  in 
a  word,  full  of  the  spirit  natural  to  her  youth.  All 
those  who  formed  part  of  her  circle  were  sincerely 
devoted  to  her.  One  of  her  ladies-in-waiting,  the 
Viscountess  of  Gontaut,  became  her  lady  of  the  bed- 
chamber toward  the  middle  of  1818.  The  position, 
which  had  at  first  been  filled  by  the  Countess  of  La 
Ferronnays,  had  been  vacant  for  a  year.  The  Duke 
of  Berry  wrote  to  Madame  de  Gontaut,  whose  daugh- 
ter had  married  the  Count  of   Bourbon-Busset:  — 

"I  am  delighted  that  Charlotte  has  become  my 
cousin."  (There  was  a  very  distant  but  perfectly 
authentic  tie  of  kinship  between  the  Bourbon- 
Bussets  and  the  royal  family.)  "As  to  you,  dear 
and  excellent  friend,  you  shall  not  be  left  alone. 
Come  and  live  with  us;  we  offer  you  the  position 
of  lady  of  the  bedchamber.  You  will  have  your 
apartments  in  the  Elys^e.  My  wife  is  impatiently 
awaiting  youf  reply.  Come  and  give  it  to  us 
yourself." 

The  Viscountess  of '  Gontaut  hastened  at  once  to 
the  Duke  and  Duchess.  "I  was  filled  with  tender 
emotions,"  she  says  in  her  unpublished  Memoirs. 
"They  noticed  this  and  were  pleased  by  it.     How 


1818  113 

is  it  possible  not  to  love  and  devote  one's  self 
to  princes  who  are  worthy?  They  took  delight  in 
showing  me  the  apartment  intended  for  me,  over 
that  of  the  Duchess.  The  view  across  the  Champs- 
Elysees  was  superb  and  gay.  The  rooms  had  been 
occupied  by  the  King  of  Rome,  and  were  full  of 
traces  of  the  care  bestowed  on  his  infancy:  the 
panels  were  padded  as  high  as  the  head  of  a  child 
six  or  seven  years  old,  and  the  entire  apartment  was 
hung  with  green  silk,  still  beautiful  and  fresh,  so 
as  to  preserve  his  eyes.  The  study  of  this  human 
foresight,  brought  to  nothing  by  the  Supreme  Will, 
made  us  thoughtful,  and  for  an  instant  saddened 
even  our  Princess." 

But  the  sunny  Italian  nature  of  the  Duchess  of 
Berry  soon  chased  away  all  gloomy  presentiments. 

"Come,"  said  she  to  her  lady  of  the  bedchamber, 
"  let  us  think  gayly  of  the  future ;  I  am  happy,  and 
I  want  to  enjoy  my  happiness.  Your  quarters  are 
spacious  and  charming ;  you  have  three  salons ;  you 
can  give  balls  which  will  be  a  hundred  times  more 
amusing  than  ours,  for  you  have  no  such  obligations 
as  we  have.  Come,  it  is  a  promise,  isn't  it?  You 
will  give  some  balls  ?  " 

The  Viscountess  was  about  to  reply,  when  the. 
Duke  of  Berry  remarked  sadly: — ■ 

"Caroline,  you  think  of  nothing  but  amusing- 
yourself." 

"And  why  not?"  returned  the  Princess.  "I  am 
so  young." 


114  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBBY 

Then,  stamping,  but  smiling  all  the  while,  she 
closed  the  Duke's  mouth  with  her  pretty  hand. 

"Above  all,"  added  she,  "don't  talk  to  me  any 
more  about  being  a  widow;  it  is  the  current  jest, 
but  I  find  it  insupportable." 

The  Duke  smiled  in  a  melancholy  way. 

"I  was  wrong,"  said  he,  "but  it  is  a  fixed  idea  of 
mine ;  for  some  time  past  I  have  been  thinking  of 
your  Avidowhood." 

"  A  singular  j)leasantry !  "  returned  the  Princess, 
and  taking  her  lady  of  the  bedchamber  by  the  arm 
she  drew  her  out  of  the  apartment. 

Some  time  afterwards,  the  Duke,  being  alone  in 
his  study,  had  Madame  de  Gontaut  summoned 
thither.  "Look  here,"  said  he,  "I  am  sure  that  this 
paper  is  poisoned.  Don't  touch  it;  when  I  o|)ened 
it,  I  experienced  a  horrible  sensation.  The  letter 
amounts  to  nothing  and  can  give  no  clue ;  it  is  an 
appeal  for  aid,  unsigned  and  not  addressed."  The 
Viscountess  begged  him  to  warn  the  police.  He 
charged  her  to  keep  the  thing  secret,  fearing  to  cause 
his  wife  anxiety.  One  might  say  he  had  a  premoni- 
tion of  Louvel,  who  had  been  meditating  and  prepar- 
ing his  crime  for  more  than  four  years. 

Sadness  passed  quickly  and  enjoyment  returned. 
The  Duchess  had  had  the  good  fortune  to  keep  near 
her  the  friend  of  her  childhood,  Suzette  de  La  Tour, 
the  daughter  of  her  former  governess  and  the  Count 
of  La  Tour,  lieutenant-general  and  aide-de-camp  of 
the  King  of  Naples.     This  charming  young  girl  of 


1818  115 

seventeen  married  the  Count  of  Meffray  in  the  Elysee 
chapel,  and  was  soon  afterwards  appointed  lady-in- 
waiting  to  the  Duchess  of  Berry. 

"Consider  her,  young  women,"  said  Madame  de 
Gontaut  of  the  Countess  of  Meffray;  "amiable, 
witty,  and  pretty,  surrounded  and  admired,  yet 
slander  cannot  touch  her." 

During  the  summer  the  Duke  and  Duchess  often 
dined  tite-d-tete  in  the  Elysde  garden.  Sometimes, 
when  they  knew  that  Madame  de  Gontaut  was  alone, 
they  invited  her.  "Nothing  could  be  more  agree- 
able, pleasanter,  and  I  may  even  say  more  friendly," 
she  adds,  "than  these  dinners  d  trois.''^ 

At  the  end  of  July,  the  Duchess  of  Berry  went  to 
Rambouillet  with  the  royal  family.  We  read  in  the 
Moniteur :  — 

"  The  little  town  of  Rambouillet  cannot  contain  all 
the  curious  persons  who  come  from  Paris  and  the 
neighboring  communes;  all  the  inns  are  full,  and 
numbers  who  could  obtain  no  lodgings  have  been 
obliged  to  sleep  in  their  carriages.  All  the  houses 
without  exception  are  hung  with  white  flags  embroid- 
ered with  lilies.  The  inscriptions  are  pretty  much 
all  alike:  'Long  live  the  King!  Long  live  the  Bour- 
bons! God  and  the  King!  May  the  King  live  a 
long  time,  and  the  Bourbons  forever! '  " 

August  25,  the  statue  of  Henri  lY.  was  solemnly 
inaugurated  on  the  Pont  Neuf.  The  Duchesses  of 
Angouleme  and  Berry  sat  in  the  open  carriage  with 
the  King.     He  reached  the  platform  erected  before 


116  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEMEY 

his  ancestor's  statue  at  a  quarter-past  two.  The 
Marquis  Barb^  de  Marbois  made  an  address,  to  which 
the  King  replied  in  these  words :  — 

"I  am  affected  by  the  sentiments  you  express.  I 
accept  with  lively  gratitude  the  gift  of  the  French 
people,  this  monument  erected  by  the  offerings  of 
the  rich  and  the  mite  of  widows.  When  they  behold 
this  image,  Frenchmen  will  say:  'He  loved  us,  and 
his  children  love  us  also. '  And  the  descendants  of 
the  good  King  will  say  in  their  turn,  '  Let  us  merit 
to  be  loved  as  he  was.'  We  shall  see  in  this  the 
pledge  of  reunion  between  all  parties,  and  the  obliv- 
ion of  all  mistakes.  We  shall  see  the  presage  of 
the  happiness  of  France.  May  Heaven  grant  these 
desires  which  are  dearest  of  all  to  my  heart."  The 
thirteen  legions  of  the  National  Guard  marched  past 
the  statue.  Popular  representations  were  given  dur- 
ing the  day,  and  in  the  evening  plays  composed  for 
the  occasion. 

The  Moniteur  had  printed  the  following  that 
morning :  — 

"It  is  on  the  feast  of  Saint  Louis,  the  day  on 
which  the  statue  of  Henri  IV.  is  to  be  inaugurated, 
that  it  is  sweet  to  be  permitted  to  announce  that  the 
condition  of  S.  A.  R.  the  Duchess  of  Berry  promises 
a  new  scion  of  the  august  Bourbon  dynasty." 

Like  its  predecessor,  this  hope  was  to  end  in  a  dis- 
appointment. The  Moniteur  thus  announced  the  sad 
tidings :  — 

"S.  A.  R.  the  Duchess  of  Berry,  had  an  accident 


1818  117 

which  made  it  necessary  to  bleed  her  in  the  arm  and 
employ  other  remedies.  Nevertheless,  an  untimely 
birth  occurred  this  morning,  September  13,  at  six 
o'clock.  The  child,  which  was  of  the  male  sex, 
lived  nearly  two  hours.  S.  A.  R.  the  Duchess  of 
Berry  is  in  a  satisfactory  condition." 

This  date,  the  13th,  reappeared  at  the  interval  of 
a  year.  On  July  13,  1817,  the  Duchess  had  brought 
a  daughter  into  the  world  who  lived  but  a  day.  On 
September  13,  1818,  she  was  brought  to  bed  with  a 
son  who  died  at  the  end  of  two  hours.  The  same 
date  was  to  appear  again  two  years  and  five  months 
later.  The  Duke  of  Berry  was  assassinated  by 
Louvel,  February  13,  1820,  and  in  the  midst  of  his 
cruel  agony  the  victim  remarked  the  triple  coinci- 
dence. 

In  spite  of  the  Duchess's  sufferings,  she  had  the 
presence  of  mind  to  request  the  prelate  to  baptize 
at  once  the  child  who  was  about  to  die;  "a  veri- 
table consolation  for  Her  Royal  Highness,"  said  the 
Moniteur^  "and  the  reward  of  the  pious  sentiments 
by  which  she  is  animated."  The  obsequies  of  the 
little  Prince  took  place  the  same  evening  at  half- 
past  ten  o'clock.  The  Bishop  of  Amiens  and  the 
Marquis  of  Anjorand,  chief  equerry  to  the  Duke  of 
Berry,  got  into  a  carriage  drawn  by  six  horses.  The 
escort  was  composed  of  an  officer,  a  brigadier,  and 
four  of  Monsieur's  guards.  The  body  was  received 
at  Saint  Denis  by  the  canon  in  charge  of  the  tombs, 
and  deposited  in  the  royal  vault,  beside  that  of  the 


118  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBBT 

little  Princess  who  died  the  year  before.  The 
Prince  had  been  baptized,  but  given  no  name.  This 
inscription  was  engraved  on  the  coffin :  "  Here  is  the 
body  of  the  very  high  and  powerful  Prince  N.  of 
Artois,  grandson  of  France,  son  of  the  very  high  and 
very  powerful  Prince  Charles  Ferdinand  of  Artois, 
Duke  of  Berry,  son  of  France,  and  of  Caroline  Ferdi- 
nande  Louise,  Princess  of  the  Two  Sicilies,  who  died 
at  birth,  September  13,  1818."  It  must  be  owned 
that  this  official  phraseology  is  somewhat  stilted. 
To  describe  a  child  who  dies  at  birth  as  "  very  high 
and  powerful "  smacks  of  exaggeration. 

The  Duke  of  Berry  was  greatly  afflicted.  Possi- 
bly he  had  a  presentiment  that  the  death  of  this  child 
would  be  the  signal  for  his  own.  M.  Alfred  Nette- 
ment  relates  that  a  few  days  afterward  the  Duke  of 
Berry  went  to  the  Palais  Royal  to  call  on  the  Duke 
of  Orleans.  The  latter  was  in  his  study  with  the 
young  Duke  of  Chartres.  He  made  a  movement  as 
if  to  send  away  his  son,  fearing,  doubtless,  lest  the 
sight  of  his  own  family  prosperity  might  redouble 
his  cousin's  regrets,  and  that  his  blooming  health 
might  recall  the  empty  cradle  in  which  the  elder 
branch  had  placed  a  hope  which  lasted  only  two 
hours.  "But,"  adds  M.  Nettement,  "the  Duke  of 
Berry  gently  detained  the  young  Prince.  He  was  a 
favorite  with  him  and  his  wife,  and  was  always  wel- 
come at  the  Elysee.  Then,  drawing  him  closer  still, 
the  Duke  said,  with  an  affectionate,  though  melan- 
choly smile:  'Here  is  a  fine  fellow  who  possibly  has 


1818  119 

a  high  fortune  before  him.  My  wife  cannot  give  me 
any  more  children,  or  at  any  rate,  nothing  but 
daughters,  and  then  the  crown  will  pass  to  your 
son.'  To  this  the  Duke  of  Orleans  replied:  'At 
least,  Monseigneur,  if  some  day  he  should  obtain  the 
crown,  it  will  be  you  who  will  give  it  to  him  as  a 
second  father;  for  you  are  younger  than  I,  and  my 
son  would  receive  all  from  your  kindness. '  " 

The  Journal  des  Debats  published  an  article  repro- 
duced by  the  Moniteur  of  September  23,  1818,  in 
which  it  was  said :  — 

"  No  city  has  felt  the  shock  of  the  events  that  have 
plunged  France  into  mourning  more  than  the  faith- 
ful city  of  Bordeaux ;  none  could  welcome  with  more 
cordiality  the  new  ho]3es  offered  us ;  the  young  Prince 
torn  prematurely  from  our  love  was  to  have  been 
called  by  its  name.  This  signal  honor  was  due,  and 
had  been  granted  by  the  King  to  the  city  which  was 
the  first  of  all  to  open  its  gates  to  the  grandson  of 
Henri  IV.,  and  which,  at  a  disastrous  epoch,  was 
again  the  last  asylum  of  that  Princess  whom  France 
and  Europe  have  styled  the  heroine  of  Bordeaux. 
The  first  scion  of  this  august  stem  would  have  been 
a  Duke  of  Bordeaux.  Everything  gives  us  the  right 
to  believe  that  this  noble  recompense  of  courage  and 
fidelity  is  only  delayed  for  several  months,  and  that 
the  moment  is  not  far  distant  when  Providence  will 
consolidate,  by  another  pledge,  the  glory  of  the  faith- 
ful city  and  the  destinies  of  France." 

The  Duchess  of  Berry  was  not  more  discouraged 


120  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BERBT 

by  her  second  mourning  than  by  her  first.  Almost 
immediately  she  resumed  her  habitual  gaiety.  On 
November  4,  early  morning  serenades  and  military 
music  announced,  both  at  the  Tuileries  and  the 
Elys^e,  the  feast  of  Saint  Charles  Borromeo,  the 
patron  saint  of  both  the  Duke  and  the  Duchess.  A 
ball  was  given  at  the  Elys^e  palace  to  celebrate  this 
double  fete,  on  November  7.  It  was  opened  by  the 
young  Princess,  who  danced  with  the  Grand-duke 
Constantine  of  Russia,  in  a  French  quadrille. 
Dancing  began  anew  after  supper  and  was  kept  up 
until  morning.  The  year  1818  finished  prosperously 
and  gaily. 


XV. 

1819 

PROBABLY  the  Duchess  of  Berry,  in  all  her 
changeful  life,  had  no  such  calm  and  happy- 
year  as  1819.  It  was  like  a  gleam  of  sunlight 
through  an  overclouded  sky.  The  kindly  young 
wife  enjoyed  her  domestic  happiness  in  peace,  and 
lived  only  for  her  husband,  the  arts,  and  charity. 
At  Palermo  she  had  reproached  herself  for  not  hav- 
ing sufficiently  cultivated  the  accomplishments.  At 
the  Elys^e  she  took  lessons.  As  the  Duke  of  Berry 
loved  music,  she  wished  to  become  a  good  musician ; 
he  had  fine  galleries  of  pictures,  and  she  wished  to 
be  able  to  appreciate  them.  She  formed  a  choice  and 
elegant  society  around  her,  in  which  the  traditions  of 
the  old  regime  were  united  to  a  familiarity  thoroughly 
modern.  Small  parties,  private  balls,  and  exquisite 
concerts  animated  the  joyous  winter.  In  the  Moni- 
teur  of  February  10,  1819,  we  read :  — 

"S.  A.  R.  Madame  the  Duchess  of  Berry  has 
just  acquired  possession  of  the  fine  picture  of  the 
Sybil,  one  of  Madame  Lebrun's  masterpieces,  which 
she  has  presented  to  Mgr.  the  Duke  of  Berry.  One 
must  be  pleased  to  see  this  young  Princess,  in  whom 

121 


122  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BEBBY 

love  for  the  fine  arts  is  innate,  seizing  eagerly  every 
occasion  to  encourage  French  artists,  from  whom  she 
has  already  collected  several  interesting  works,  and 
seeking  in  the  protection  she  grants  them  another 
means  of  increasing  her  affection  for  the  things 
which  interest  her  august  spouse." 

It  is  not  without  emotion  that  Madame  de  Gontaut 
has  related  her  memories  of  this  agreeable  year  1819. 
She  says  that  when  spring  came,  the  Duke  and 
Duchess  spent  a  part  of  their  mornings  in  the  gar- 
den. "  They  set  up  games  there  which  amused  them 
much;  the  wives,  children,  and  husbands  of  the 
princely  houses  came  there  incessantly,  especially  on 
Sundays.  Nothing  could  be  gayer  or  more  agreeable 
than  Monseigneur's  behavior  to  those  around  him; 
people  amused  themselves  and  were  in  harmony; 
they  were  happy  and  at  ease." 

The  Duchess  was  then  pregnant.  She  hoped 
greatly  that  this  time  the  trouble  of  the  two  preced- 
ing years  might  not  be  renewed.  She  was  forbidden 
to  go  out  in  a  carriage.  When  she  dined  at  the 
Tuileries  with  the  King,  she  went  on  foot,  leaning 
on  her  husband's  arm.  The  Moniteur  said  in  its 
issue  of  June  17,  1819 :  — 

"  The  Duchess  of  Berry,  whose  condition,  on  which 
hang  the  hopes  of  France,  obliges  her  to  take  great 
precautions,  will  be  unable  to  accompany  her  august 
spouse  in  the  Corpus  Christi  procession.  Wishing, 
nevertheless,  to  contribute  by  her  liberality  to  the 
magnificence  of  a  ceremony  to  which  her  presence 


1819  123 

would  have  added  so  much  brilliancy,  this  pious 
Princess  has  presented  to  her  parish  church,  the 
Assumption,  a  superb  canopy  and  an  extremely  rich 
ornament." 

A  short  time  before  her  delivery  the  Duchess  was 
walking  with  her  husband  in  the  Elys^e  garden. 
She  drew  Madame  de  Gontaut  into  a  thicket,  and 
made  the  Duke  tell  her  that  she  had  been  chosen  as 
governess  for  the  expected  infant.  The  lady  of  the 
bedchamber  thus  relates  the  incident :  — 

"I  was  dumfounded;  the  first  thing  that  pre- 
sented itself  to  my  mind  was  a  long  train  of  princes 
and  princesses  to  bring  up  and  superintend  —  the 
slavery,  in  a  word,  of  all  the  rest  of  my  life.  The 
silence  that  ensued  while  my  reply  was  delayed, 
amused  and  made  them  laugh;  but  reading  in  my 
eyes  that  I  was  sad,  they  kindly  asked  the  reason. 
I  said :  '  I  shall  miss  the  happiness  I  enjoy  with  you 
now,  free  from  trouble  and  vexation.  I  understand 
myself;  I  know  I  could  never  take  lightly  nor  at  my 
ease  the  charge  you  offer  me;  but  I  also  know  that 
it  gives  me  still  another  means  of  proving  my  attach- 
ment to  you.  I  will  fulfil  it  as  I  did  that  which 
nature  assigned  me  with  regard  to  my  own  children. ' 
Monseigneur,  who  was  far  from  expecting  me  to  be 
uncertain  whether  to  accept  a  place  much  above  that 
I  then  occupied,  seemed  disappointed;  they  both 
said  the  kindest  and  most  encouraging  things  to  me. 
I  asked  a  few  days'  delay  in  which  to  consult  my 
husband." 


124  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BEBBY 

Not  long  afterwards  Louis  XVIII.  gave  the  Vis- 
countess an  audience:  "Sit  down,  god-daughter,"  he 
said  to  her,  "  and  let  us  have  a  chat.  Tell  me,  I  beg 
you,  why  do  you  hesitate  to  accept  the  first  place  in 
the  kingdom?"  The  King  listened  with  his  eyes, 
which,  penetrating  even  to  the  conscience,  obliged  a 
truthful  answer.  " I  have  no  ambition.  Sire,"  replied 
the  Viscountess ;  "  I  prefer  liberty  and  independence 
to  everything  else."  "Liberty!"  exclaimed  the 
King;  "liberty  and  independence,  senseless  words! 
Devotion  comes  from  the  heart;  yours  has  given 
proof  of  it  and  will  never  belie  it.  Believe  me,  and 
accept  what  is  offered  you  with  confidence,  friend- 
ship, and  my  approbation."  Louis  XVIII. 's  wish 
was  a  command.     Madame  de  Gontaut  obeyed. 

It  had  been  decided  that  if  the  child  borne  by  the 
Duchess  of  Berry  were  a  son,  he  should  be  called  the 
Duke  of  Bordeaux.  Hence  the  faithful  city,  as 
it  was  then  called,  attached  special  interest  to  the 
expected  event.  The  Moniteur  published  a  letter 
from  Bordeaux,  dated  September  8,  in  which  it  was 
said:  — 

"We  are  expecting  from  one  minute  to  another 
the  news  of  the  happy  deliverance  of  Madame  the 
Duchess  of  Berry.  It  seems  that  measures  have 
been  taken  and  orders  given  so  that  the  result  shall 
be  made  known  directly  after  the  arrival  of  the  cou- 
rier. If  the  news  comes  in  the  daytime,  it  will  be 
announced  by  salvos  of  artillery;  if  at  night,  by 
the  great  bell  of  the  H6tel  de  Ville.     Fifteen  volleys 


1819  125 

will  apprise  the  Bordelais  of  the  birth  of  a  prince; 
three  volleys  will  announce  the  birth  of  a  princess. 
The  public  edifices  will  be  illuminated,  and  truly- 
national  fetes  will  celebrate  this  memorable  event." 

On  September  21,  1819,  the  Duchess  of  Berry 
brought  into  the  world  without  accident,  not  the 
son  so  impatiently  expected,  but  a  daughter.  See- 
ing evidence  of  disappointment  on  the  faces  of  those 
surrounding  her,  the  courageous  Princess,  instead  of 
looking  cast  down,  began  to  smile  gaily:  "After 
the  girl,  the  boy,"  she  exclaimed.  Full  of  joy,  she 
did  not  foresee  the  dismal  future.  She  would  have 
l3een  greatly  surprised  had  any  one  told  her  that  the 
princess  just  born  was  to  be,  like  herself,  the  wife 
of  an  assassinated  prince,  and  like  her  also,  the 
mother  of  a  prince  outlawed  and  deprived  of  his 
mheritance. 

Here  is  a  summary  of  the  birth  certificate  of  the 
future  Duchess  of  Parma :  — 

"Certificate  of  birth  of  the  very  high  and  very 
powerful  Princess  Louise  Marie  Th^r^se  of  Artois, 
Mademoiselle,  granddaughter  of  France,  born  Sep- 
tember 21,  1819,  at  thirty-five  minutes  past  six  in 
the  morning,  at  the  Elys^e-Bourbon  palace,  signed 
by  the  King,  Monsieur,  the  Duchess  of  Angouleme, 
the  Duke  of  Angouleme,  the  Duke  of  Berry,  the 
Duke  and  Duchess  of  Orleans,  the  dowager  Duchess 
of  Orleans,  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Bourbon,  Made- 
moiselle d' Orleans,  the  Duke  of  Duras,  the  Duke  of 
Reggio,  General  Marquis  Dessolle,  president  of  the 


126  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BERRY 

Ministerial  Council ;  the  Count  of  Pradel,  director- 
general  of  the  King's  household,  the  Marquis  of 
Dreux-Br^zd,  grand  master  of  ceremonies;  M.  de 
Serre,  Minister  of  Justice ;  Count  Decazes,  Minister 
of  the  Interior;  Baron  Portal,  Minister  of  Marine; 
Baron  Louis,  Minister  of  Finances ;  Louis  Dambray, 
Chancellor  of  France;  the  Marquis  of  S^monville, 
grand  referendary  of  the  Chamber  of  Peers;  M. 
Cauchy,  keeper  of  the  archives  of  the  Chamber  of 
Peers.  Signed  also,  with  the  King's  permission,  the 
Duke  of  Gramont,  the  Marquis  of  Boisgelin,  the 
Duke  of  Escars,  the  Duke  of  S^rent,  the  Marquis  of 
Champenest,  the  Marquis  of  Rochemore,  the  Count  of 
Puys^gur,  the  Count  of  Talleyrand,  j- J.-B.,  Bishop 
of  Chartres,  the  Duke  of  Fitzjames,  the  Duke  of 
Polignac,  the  Viscount  of  Agoult,  the  Duke  of 
Damas,  the  Duke  of  Guiche,  the  Count  of  Nan- 
touillet." 

The  Duke  of  Berry,  always  kind  and  affectionate 
toward  his  wife,  wished  to  be  the  first  to  give  her 
the  new-born  child.  He  did  it  with  sincere  feeling; 
no  one  could  suspect  from  his  expression  that  he  was 
disappointed  at  having  a  daughter  instead  of  a  son. 
Afterwards,  the  grand  master  of  ceremonies  caused 
both  leaves  of  the  folding  door  to  be  thrown  open, 
and  the  body-guards  formed  in  double  line  up  to  the 
apartment  of  the  little  Princess.  The  Viscountess 
of  Gontaut,  governess  of  the  children  of  France, 
carried  her  thither  in  great  pomp.  After  the  grand 
master  had  made  a  profound  salute,  the  body-guards 


1819  127 

retired.  "I  hoped  by  tliis  time,"  she  says,  "to  have 
done  with  etiquette,  when  that  of  the  chambermaids' 
began.  I  was  sitting  down,  hugging  my  precious 
treasure  in  my  arms,  when  the  cradle-maid  came  for- 
ward to  inform  me,  as  she  said,  of  the  nature  of  her 
customary  rights,  which  were  to  hold  and  to  carry 
the  child,  the  governess  having  merely  to  give  orders 
and  preside.  Monseigneur  came  up  just  then,  and 
smiling,  asked  me  in  English  if  he  had  quite  under- 
stood the  instructions  which  the  serving-woman 
claimed  to  give  me.  We  jested  about  it;  he  advised 
me  to  establish  myself  as  mistress  forthwith,  so  as  to 
be  able  to  enjoy  with  him  and  the  Duchess  a  domes- 
tic happiness  that  might  possibly  be  bourgeois^  but 
was  the  only  real  one.  So  I  told  the  elegant  and 
pretentious  maid  that  I  would  call  her  when  I 
thought  her  services  were  needed.  This  being  said 
in  Monseigneur's  presence,  and  evidently  by  his 
advice,  produced  an  effect  whose  benefits  I  felt  until 
the  education  of  the  Princess  was  ended. 

The  next  day  the  Duke  of  Berry  went  to  the 
Opera,  where  the  public  gave  him  an  enthusiastic 
reception,  and  where  Derivis  sang  a  cantata  com- 
posed for  the  occasion  by  the  celebrated  ballad- writer, 
D^saugiers. 

On  the  occasion  of  her  daughter's  birth,  the  Duch- 
ess of  Berry  received  many  marks  of  sympathy  and 
interest  from  her  aunt,  the  Duchess  of  Orleans. 
The  Duchess  was  the  sister  of  Queen  Marie  Antoi- 
nette, and  daughter  of  Queen  Marie  Caroline,  grand- 


128  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEREY 

mother  of  the  Duchess  of  Berry.  The  niece  was 
very  devoted  to  her  aunt,  and  found  it  pleasant  to 
renew  in  France  her  souvenirs  of  the  Two  Sicilies. 
On  her  arrival  in  France  she  had  not  met  her  aunt 
there ;  for,  after  the  second  Restoration  she  was  rele- 
gated to  a  sort  of  exile  in  England  with  her  hus- 
band and  children.  This  disgrace  lasted  until  April, 
1817.  The  Duke  of  Orleans  was  then  authorized  by 
Louis  XVIII.  to  return  to  France  with  his  family, 
and  he  took  up  his  residence  again  in  the  Palais 
Royal.  The  Duke  of  Berry  had  always  entertained 
the  friendliest  sentiments  toward  his  cousin,  and 
energetically  defended  him  against  the  rancor  and 
suspicions  of  the  Smigres.  In  London,  one  evening 
during  the  emigration,  it  had  been  necessary,  in 
order  to  avoid  disagreeable  scenes,  for  the  Duke  of 
Berry  to  take  the  arm  of  his  cousin  of  Orleans,  and 
say  in  a  severe  tone  to  those  surrounding  them :  — 

"Is  any  one  here  more  difficult  to  please  than  the 
Duke  of  Berry?" 

After  1817,  the  relations  between  the  Palais  Royal 
and  the  Elys^e  became  intimate  and  frequent.  The 
Duchess  of  Orleans  loved  to  tell  how,  in  1819,  at  the 
time  of  Mademoiselle's  birth,  the  Duke  of  Chartres, 
hearing  the  first  discharges  of  cannon,  said:  "Either 
my  wife  or  my  King  has  come  into  the  world." 
After  her  recovery,  the  Duchess  of  Berry,  as  soon 
as  she  was  permitted  to  go  out,  went  to  the  Palais 
Royal  with  her  husband  to  thank  the  Duchess 
of    Orleans  for  her  attentions.     Mademoiselle  was 


1819  129 

taken  along.  She  was  on  the  lap  of  the  governess  of 
the  children  of  France  when  the  Duke  of  Berry, 
recalling  the  reflection  of  the  young  Duke  of  Char- 
tres,  said  to  him:  "Chartres,  come  here  then,  and 
embrace  your  wife."  The  young  Prince  reddened, 
but  did  not  stir :  his  timidity  was  found  amusing. 

By  degrees  the  Duchess  of  Berry  resumed  her 
occupations,  the  Elys^e  its  amusements,  the  Duke 
of  Berry  his  hunting,  and  everybody  was  happy. 
One  may  read  in  the  Moniteur  of  October  29,  1819 :  — 

"Since  last  Sunday,  when  S.  A.  R.  the  Duchess 
of  Berry  was  churched,  that  Princess  has  dined  at 
the  Tuileries  every  day.  Her  Royal  Highness,  with 
the  young  Princess  Mademoiselle  d'Artois,  her 
daughter,  accompanied  by  her  nurse,  has  gone  out 
to  Bagatelle  for  the  last  three  days,  from  one  o'clock 
to  four." 

The  Duke  of  Berry  was  a  very  tender  father.  He 
often  passed  part  of  the  morning  in  his  daughter's 
room,  and  the  Duchess  frequently  went  to  meet  him 
there.  She  had  appointed  as  cradle- woman  the  nurse 
who  had  attended  her  at  the  birth  of  her  three  chil- 
dren, Madame  Lemoine.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
the  person  who  nursed  the  Empress  Marie  Louise 
when  the  King  of  Rome  was  born. 

The  Duchess  of  Berry  seemed  the  happiest  of 
women.  Whenever  she  appeared,  the  public  showed 
her  a  lively  sympathy.  The  Moniteur  of  November 
4,  1819,  said:  — 

"About  four  o'clock  on  All  Saints  Day,  the  Duke 


130  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBBT 

and  Duchess  of  Berry  made  their  appearance  at  the 
Salon.  The  crowd  was  still  rather  large  and  pressed 
about  them,  restrained  less  by  the  guardians  of  the 
museum,  who  preceded  them,  than  by  fear  of  incom- 
moding the  Princess,  who,  leaning  on  her  husband's 
arm  and  following  the  balustrade,  stopped  before 
many  of  the  charming  genre  pictures  which  line 
the  Salon.  On  the  same  day  Their  Royal  High- 
nesses were  to  visit  the  studio  of  M.  Girodet  to 
look  at  the  picture  of  Pygmalion  and  Galatea." 

While  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Berry,  taking  no 
part  either  in  court  intrigues  or  politics  were  thus 
leading  a  peaceful  and  happy  life  in  the  Elys^e,  the 
horizon  was  beginning  to  cloud  over.  November 
23,  1819,  Louis  XVIII.,  in  opening  the  session  of 
the  Chambers,  said  in  his  speech  from  the  throne :  — 

"A  vague  but  real  anxiety  pervades  all  minds; 
every  one  asks  the  present  for  pledges  of  its  dura- 
tion. As  yet  the  nation  enjoys  very  imperfectly  the 
first  fruits  of  peace  and  legalized  government;  it 
fears  to  see  them  torn  away  by  the  violence  of  fac- 
tions ;  it  is  alarmed  by  their  thirst  for  domination ; 
it  fears  the  too  clear  expression  of  their  designs." 

Count  Gr^goire,  a  regicide,  had  just  been  nomi- 
nated deputy  by  the  department  of  the  Isere.  "  If  it 
is  decided  that  a  regicide  is  admissible,"  cried  M. 
de  Corbi^re,  "  the  entire  Revolution  will  come  out 
of  its  grave,  hideous  and  bloody."  M.  de  Marcellus 
said,  in  his  indignation :  "  Such  a  nomination  is  an 
outrage  on  the  majesty  of  the  throne  and  the  sanctity 


1819  131 

of  the  altar."  M.  Gregoire  was  not  admitted.  Tims 
opened  the  session  which  was  to  be  the  most  stormy 
one  of  Louis  XVIII. 's  reign. 

A  few  days  afterward,  the  Moniteur  said  in  its 
issue  of  December  18,  1819 :  — 

"S.  A.  R.  Madame  the  Duchess  of  Berry,  accom- 
panied by  one  of  her  ladies  and  her  first  equerry, 
mounts  a  horse  nearly  every  day  in  the  royal  riding- 
school.  The  director  of  this  school  has  the  honor 
of  attending  her  during  her  exercise,  which  appears 
to  have  a  favorable  effect  upon  her  health,  and  at 
which  S.  A.  R.  Madame  the  Duchess  of  Angouleme 
and  S.  A.  R.  the  Duke  of  Berry  are  often  present." 

The  valiant  Duchess  doubtless  said  to  herself  that 
if  the  hour  of  danger  arrived,  she  would  like  to  be 
the  first  at  the  most  dangerous  posts,  and  mount  on 
horseback,  like  an  intrepid  amazon,  to  defend  the 
rights  of  her  family  and  combat  the  Revolution. 


XVI 

COUNT  DECAZES 

THERE  was  a  man  in  France  at  the  beginning  of 
1820  who  was  probably  more  powerful  than 
the  King.  This  was  Count  Decazes,  president  of 
the  Council  of  Ministers.  The  credit  he  enjoyed 
caused  the  ultras  an  exasperation  bordering  on  con- 
vulsive rage.  On  ascertaining  the  omnipotence  of  a 
former  favorite  of  the  Empire,  it  was  all  the  SmigrSs 
could  do  to  refrain  from  treating  Louis  XVIII.  as  a 
disguised  Bonapartist  or  crowned  Jacobin. 

Restorations,  when  accomplished,  nearly  always 
betray  completely  the  expectations  of  those  by  whom 
they  have  been  most  ardently  desired.  The  realiza- 
tion of  their  dream  appears  to  them  like  a  hoax  on 
the  part  of  destiny,  and  on  seeing  a  court  utterly 
different  from  what  they  had  imagined,  they  experi- 
ence a  disgust  and  astonishment  which  make  them 
lose  their  temper.  Their  resentment  is  all  the 
sharper  because  they  are  forced  to  conceal  it,  and  to 
smile  at  the  very  moment  when  they  are  ready  to 
burst  with  rage. 

The  man  who  excited  the  jealousy  and  rancor  of 
the  courtiers  of  Louis  XVIII.  to  such  a  pitch  was 
132 


COUNT  DECAZES  133 


not  yet  forty.  Born  September  28,  1780,  at  Saint- 
Martin-cIe-Laye,  near  Libourne,  where  bis  father  was 
lieutenant  of  the  presidial,^  he  had  been  first  a  bar- 
rister, and  afterwards  employed  in  the  Ministry  of 
Justice,  under  the  Consulate.  In  1805  his  marriage 
with  the  daughter  of  Count  Muraire,  first  president 
of  the  Court  of  Cassation,  opened  to  him  the  career 
of  the  magistracy.  Having  been  appointed  judge  of 
the  Seine  tribunal,  he  became  a  counsellor  of  the 
imperial  court  in  1806.  He  was  called  to  the  Hague 
the  same  year  by  King  Louis  Bonaparte,  whose  confi- 
dential counsellor  he  became.  After  the  abdication 
of  this  Prince  he  filled  the  post  of  private  secretary 
to  Madame  Mere  from  1811  to  the  close  of  the 
Empire. 

Under  the  Restoration  he  became  an  avowed  royal- 
ist. He  refused  to  keep  his  post  in  the  magistracy 
during  the  Hundred  Days,  and  Napoleon  exiled  him 
forty  leagues  from  Paris.  After  Waterloo  he  became 
prefect  of  police  to  Louis  XVIII.  September  24, 
1815,  he  entered  the  cabinet  as  Minister  of  Police, 
and  from  that  day  onward  he  was  the  confidant,  the 
favorite,  the  alter  ego  of  the  sovereign. 

Chateaubriand,  who  was  so  jealous  of  him,  has 
said:  — 

"As  soon  as  M.  Decazes  was  appointed  minister, 
carriages  blocked  up  the  quay  Malaquais  every  even- 
ing, in  order  to  bring  all  that  was  noble  in  the  Fau- 

1  Au  inferior  court  of  judicature. 


134  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBBY 

bourg  Saint- Germain  to  the  salon  of  the  parvenu. 
Do  what  he  may,  the  Frenchman  will  never  be  any- 
thing but  a  courtier,  no  matter  of  whom,  providing 
he  is  in  power  at  the  time.  A  coalition  of  follies  in 
favor  of  the  new  favorite  was  speedily  formed.  In 
democratic  society,  prate  about  liberty,  declare  that 
you  behold  the  advance  of  the  human  race  and  the 
future  of  things,  throw  in  a  few  crosses  of  honor, 
and  you  are  sure  of  your  place.  In  aristocratic 
society  play  whist,  utter  commonplaces  with  an  air 
of  profundity,  and  get  off  witticisms  carefully  pre- 
pared in  advance,  and  the  fortune  of  your  genius  is 
assured.  M.  Decazes  came  to  us  from  Napoleon's 
mother.  He  was  familiar,  obliging,  and  never  inso- 
lent ;  he  wanted  to  do  me  a  favor,  and  I  did  not  care 
about  it;  that  was  the  beginning  of  my  misfortune. 
It  ought  to  have  taught  me  that  one  should  never 
fail  in  respect  to  a  favorite." 

The  secret  of  the  success  of  M.  Decazes  was  that 
his  conversation  interested  and  amused  Louis  XVIII. 
He  had  been  trained  at  a  good  school  to  make  him- 
self agreeable  to  the  great  ones  of  the  earth.  Hav- 
ing learned  how  to  please  King  Louis  Bonaparte, 
who  was  of  a  gloomy  disposition,  Madame  Mere, 
who  was  easily  provoked  to  anger,  and  Queen  Hor- 
tense,  who  was  very  gay  and  amiable,  but  who  was 
accustomed  to  much  flattery  as  a  queen,  and  more 
still  as  a  woman,  M.  Decazes  acquired  early  the 
suppleness  necessary  to  court  life.  On  the  other 
hand,  his  term  in  the  judiciary  and  his  remarkable 


COUNT  DECAZES  135 


ability  as  president  of  the  assize  court  had  revealed 
to  him  both  the  strength  and  the  weaknesses  of  the 
human  heart.  To  this  must  be  added  that  his  func- 
tions as  prefect  of  police,  by  initiating  him  into  all 
the  secrets  of  Parisian  life,  had  given  him  clues  to 
all  the  intrigues  of  the  court  and  the  city. 

Louis  XVIII.,  whose  greatest  pleasure  was  in 
conversation,  and  who  was  a  talker  of  the  first 
order,  found  his  interviews  with  his  young  minister 
extremely  charming.  M.  Decazes  talked  well,  and, 
moreover,  listened  well,  —  a  rarer  accomplishment 
than  one  supposes.  The  King  liked  to  tell  stories. 
In  his  minister  he  found  an  enthusiastic  auditor, 
careful  to  note  the  best  points  of  each  royal  anecdote, 
and  ready  to  give  intelligent  and  respectful  rejoin- 
ders to  the  sovereign,  who  considered  himself  a 
sort  of  crowned  professor.  "It  was  I,  however," 
exclaimed  Louis  XVIII. ,  "who  recognized  the  merit 
of  this  young  man,  calculated  his  range,  and  formed 
him.  He  is  my  work,  and  people  are  still  very  far 
from  knowing:  his  full  worth."  He  had  arrived  at 
the  point  of  considering  his  favorite  minister  not 
merely  as  a  faithful  servant  and  friend,  but  as  a  son  ; 
so  he  styled  him  when  speaking  and  writing  to  him. 

Louis  XVIII. ,  whose  infirmities  forced  him  to  be 
idle,  dreaded  the  fatigue  of  labor.  His  ministers 
importuned  him ;  M.  Decazes  was  able  to  divert  him. 
Through  his  past  connections  and  present  functions 
as  Minister  of  Police,  he  knew  better  than  any  one 
else  the  secret  histories  of  Napoleon's  palace  and 


136  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBBY 

tliose  of  the  great  lords  and  ladies  of  the  new  court. 
Even  when  discussing  public  affairs  he  would  tell 
anecdotes  which  the  King  would  cap  by  others.  In 
this  way  the  time  passed  agreeably.  The  matters 
to  be  discussed  Avere  prepared  in  concise  notes, 
quickly  read,  which  the  King  made  a  show  of  cor- 
recting as  a  professor  does  the  exercises  of  his  pupil. 

If  M.  de  Vaulabelle  may  be  believed,  Louis 
XYIII.  had  undertaken  to  teach  his  minister  Eng- 
lish. The  latter,  whose  progress  was  very  rapid, 
gave  all  the  credit  to  his  royal  master,  who  evidently 
accepted  it,  never  suspecting,  it  is  added,  that  before 
going  to  the  Tuileries,  M.  Decazes  took  an  English 
lesson  every  day  from  one  of  the  best  teachers  in 
Paris. 

The  King's  affection  for  his  minister  became  a 
real  infatuation.  He  made  him  a  count,  a  peer  of 
France,  Minister  of  the  Interior,  and  President  of 
the  Council.  As  M.  de  Yiel-Castel  has  very  justly 
remarked,  it  was  all  the  easier  for  M.  Decazes  to 
succeed  in  convincing  the  King  of  his  absolute  devo- 
tion, because,  touched  himself  by  the  kindness  with 
which  he  was  treated  and  the  affection  displayed 
toward  him  by  the  sovereign,  he  responded  to  it  by 
profound  gratitude.  After  being  a  widower  for 
twelve  years,  he  had  married  in  1818,  thanks  to  the 
royal  protection,  a  young  person  of  noble  family, 
Mademoiselle  de  Saint-Aulaire,  grandchild  through 
her  mother  of  the  last  reigning  Prince  of  Nassau- 
Sarrebruck,  and  grandniece  of  the  Duchess  of  Bruns- 


COUNT  DECAZES  137 


wick-Be vern,  who  obtained  for  the  new  married  pair, 
from  Frederick  VI.  of  Denmark,  the  succession  of 
the  duchy  of  Glucksberg.  In  speaking  of  his  favor- 
ite minister,  Louis  XVIII.  said,  "I  will  raise  him 
so  high  that  the  greatest  lords  will  envy  him."  Any 
criticism  aimed  at  M.  Decazes  was  considered  by 
the  sovereign  as  a  seditious  attempt  against  royal 
authority,  and  a  sort  of  conspiracy  or  high  treason. 
The  influence  of  the  minister  tended  to  favor  ideas 
of  moderation  and  compromise.  It  was  he  who  made 
the  conciliatory  remark :  "  Whether  we  come  to  the 
King  through  the  Charter  or  to  the  Charter  through 
the  King,  we  shall  be  equally  welcome. "  It  was 
he  who  brought  about  the  celebrated  decree  of  Sep- 
tember 5,  1816,  by  which  the  reactionary  Chamber 
had  been  dissolved.  It  was  he  who  did  most  to  end 
the  White  Terror.  It  was  he  who,  through  natural 
benevolence  as  much  as  through  policy,  had  labored 
most  efficaciously  to  open  the  prisons,  recall  the 
exiles,  and  those  condemned  in  contumacy,  and  even 
not  infrequently  to  procure  for  them  governmental 
favors.  It  was  he  who  decided  Louis  XVIII.  to 
assume  definitely  the  r61e  of  a  liberal  and  constitu- 
tional monarch.  "That  such  a  man,"  says  M.  de 
Viel-Castel,  "  could  have  incurred  the  furious  hatred 
by  which  he  was  pursued,  would  be  incomprehensi- 
ble if  one  did  not  know  what  has  always  been  the 
fate  of  the  favorites  of  kings  in  France  whenever 
they  have  exercised  great  power. "  Excited  by  hatred, 
the  imagination  of  the  ultras  went  so  far  as  to  invent 


138  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEERY 

the  most  unlikely  and  absurd  motives  for  the  sover- 
eign's affection  for  his  minister.  Still  the  Smigres 
said,  "Long  live  the  King!  "  all  the  same.  But  in 
their  view,  Louis  XVIII. ,  led  astray  by  M.  Decazes, 
was  nothing  but  a  revolutionist. 


XVII 


THE  DUKE  OF   BEERY 


THE  Duke  of  Berry  was  not  favorable  to  M. 
Decazes;  but,  being  full  of  respect  for  the 
wishes  of  Louis  XVIII.,  who  imposed  severe  disci- 
pline on  all  his  family,  he  refrained  from  opposition 
to  the  prime  minister,  and  maintained  a  reserved 
attitude  at  court.  The  character  of  the  Prince  had 
changed  for  the  better.  Family  life  had  softened 
his  irascible  temper.  As  he  grew  older  he  gained 
experience  and  judged  men  and  things  more  wisely 
than  in  his  early  youth.  His  bluntness  had  become 
good  nature;  his  rudeness,  simplicity.  "His  coun- 
tenance," says  M.  de  Lamartine,  "did  not  reveal  his 
intelligence  and  goodness  until  it  expanded  in  a 
smile.  Then,  in  the  frank  and  cordial  penetration 
of  his  glance,  the  fixed  contraction  of  his  eyelids, 
the  wrinkles  around  his  mouth,  the  abandon  of  his 
gestures,  and  the  sincere  and  animated  tone  of  his 
voice,  one  divined  the  wit,  felt  the  soldier,  felt  the 
good  heart."  Two  eminent  qualities  he  possessed 
in  a  high  degree,  — bravery  and  charity. 

He  was  a  good  husband,  a  good  friend,  and  a  good 
master.     Much  beloved  in  his  own  house,  he  estab- 

139 


140  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BERRY 

lished  perfect  order  there.  When  he  learned  that 
one  of  his  servants  had  deposited  money  in  the  sav- 
ings bank^  he  doubled  the  sum,  so  as  to  encourage 
his  domestics  to  practise  economy  and  make  them 
provident  for  the  future.  Anecdotes  were  told  about 
him  which  showed  his  natural  goodness.  One  day 
the  horse  of  a  dragoon  of  the  guard,  w^ho  was  accom- 
panying the  King,  fell  down,  and  the  dragoon's  leg 
was  broken.  The  Duke  of  Berry,  who  was  out  driv- 
ing with  his  wife,  met  the  poor  fellow.  He  alighted 
from  the  carriage  at  once,  had  the  soldier  put  into  it., 
ordered  that  he  should  be  taken  to  the  Elys^e  and 
cared  for  until  he  should  be  completely  cured,  and 
then  walked  home  with  the  Princess  under  a  burn- 
ing sun. 

Another  day,  as  he  was  going  to  Bagatelle,  in 
crossing  the  Bois  de  Boulogne  he  met  a  little  child 
carrying  a  large  basket.  Stopping  his  cabriolet,  hei 
called  out:  "Little  man,  where  are  you  going ?"-^. 
"To  La  Muette,  to  carry  this  basket."  "That 
basket  is  too  heavy  for  you.  Give  it  to  me;  I'll) 
leave  it  as  I  go  by."  The  basket  was  placed  in  the 
cabriolet,  and  the  Prince  left  it  at  the  given  address. 
He  went  afterwards  to  find  the  child's  father  and 
said  to  him :  "  I  met  your  little  lad ;  you  make  him 
carry  baskets  that  are  too  heavy;  you  Avill  destroy 
his  health,  and  prevent  him  from  growing.  Buy 
him  a  donkey  to  carry  his  basket."  And  he  gave 
the  father  money  to  buy  the  donkey. 

Another  time,  as  he  Avas  out  walking,  he  saw  a 


THE  BUKE  OF  BERRY  141 

very  animated  group  of  charcoal-burners,  who  were 
trying  to  prevent  one  of  their  number  from  throw- 
ing himself  into  the  Seine.  Without  being  recog- 
nized, he  approached  them  and  inquired  the  cause  of 
the  despair  of  the  poor  devil  who  wanted  to  kill  him- 
self. It  was  the  loss  of  some  money  which  impelled 
him  to  suicide.  The  Prince  opened  his  purse .  at 
once,  and  the  charcoal-burner  did  not  throw  himself 
into  the  river.  His  comrades  were  greatly  aston- 
ished when  they  learned  that  the  man  with  whom 
they  had  just  been  talking  so  familiarly  was  the 
King's  nephew. 

The  Duke  of  Berry  practised  charity  intelligently 
and  without  ostentation.  It  has  been  calculated 
that  in  six  years  his  alms  had  amounted  to  one 
million  three  hundred  and  eighty-eight  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  fifty-one  francs.  He  visited  the 
poor  with  his  wife,  and  not  only  gave  them  money, 
but  words  of  consolation.  "  Those  who  had  the  least 
good  feeling  toward  the  Prince,"  says  Chateaubriand, 
"  were  disarmed  as  soon  as  they  saw  him ;  he  never 
came  out  of  a  museum,  studio,  or  manufactory  with- 
out leaving  a  friend  behind  him  there.  If  he  saw  an 
infant,  he  ran  toward  it,  took  it  in  his  arms,  caressed 
and  embraced  it,  and  behold  a  father  and  mother  were 
wholly  won.  If  a  work  of  art  were  shown  him,  he 
examined  it  attentively;  the  artist  or  the  connois- 
seur was  charmed.  In  a  word,  he  followed  toward 
all  the  world,  and  through  good  nature,  the  counsel 
of    Nestor,    who    recommended    that   every   soldier 


142  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BEBRY 

should  be  called  by  his  own  name,  in  order  to  prove 
to  him  that  he  was  known  and  his  family  esteemed." 

As  to  the  Duchess  of  Berry,  happy,  gay,  in  excel- 
lent health,  rejoicing  in  another  pregnancy,  and  hop- 
ing this  time  certainly  to  have  a  son,  she  beheld  the 
future  under  the  most  glowing  colors.  Deeply 
attached  to  her  husband  and  enjoying  without  a 
drawback  the  greatest  happiness  of  life,  a  legitimate 
love,  she  thanked  God  for  her  lot. 

Count  de  Mesnard  writes  in  his  Souvenirs  intimes : 
"  The  Duchess  of  Berry,  who  prefers  the  freedom  of 
private  life  to  everything  else,  haunts  the  shops, 
promenades,  and  theatres.  .  .  .  She  possesses  be- 
yond any  one  else  the  charm  and  grace  which  cap- 
tivate. Nothing  equals  her  kindness  to  all  who 
surround  her.  Her  ladies  of  honor  are  the  objects 
of  her  entire  solicitude."*  If  there  is  a  ball  at  the 
palace,  she  dresses  them  for  it  with  her  own  hands ; 
she  takes  pleasure  in  adorning  them  and  thinking 
that  they  will  be  admired.  One  may  add  also,  that 
she  is  adored  in  return  for  all  the  good  she  does." 
Alas!  how  short  lived  was  this  happiness!  And 
what  reason  Chateaubriand  had  to  say :  "  Happy  is 
the  man  unknown  to  the  world,  who  wakes  up  in  a 
thatched  cabin,  in  the  midst  of  his  children,  who  are 
not  pursued  by  hatred,  and  of  whom  not  one  is  lack- 
ing to  the  paternal  embraces !  At  what  a  price  must 
crowns  be  purchased  nowadays  ?  And  what  is  to-day 
but  an  empire  ?  " 

The  Duke  of  Berry  was  about  to  terminate  his  life 


THE  DUKE  OF  BEE  BY  143 

by  a  good  action,  —  that  of  making  generous  repara- 
tion for  a  wrong  done  in  a  moment  of  anger  to  one 
of  his  servants  named  Soubriard.  On  Saturday, 
February  12,  1820,  the  Prince  had  hunted  in  the 
Bois  de  Boulogne.  Everything  went  wrong;  peo- 
ple passing  back  and  forth  disturbed  the  game.  The 
Prince  very  unjustly  accused  Soubriard  of  all  the 
mishaps  of  the  chase,  treated  the  poor  man  badly, 
and  left  him  in  consternation.  But  the  Duke  of 
Berry  was  good.  He  very  quickly  repented  of  his 
violence,  and  on  his  return  to  the  Elys^e  he  sadly 
remarked  to  Madame  de  Gontaut :  "  Pity  me ;  I  have 
just  wounded  the  heart  of  a  man  whom  I  love  and 
who  would  give  his  life  for  me.  I  have  acted  very 
badly;  I  have  been  very  wicked."  Just  then  he 
took  his  little  girl  in  his  arms  to  give  her  a  kiss. 
She  was  frightened,  and  she  cried.  "She  is  right 
to  be  afraid  of  a  sinner,"  said  he.  Madame  de  Gon- 
taut seemed  to  find  it  impossible  to  believe  that  the 
Prince  could  have  left  the  unfortunate  servant  with- 
out a  word  of  consolation.  "  Alas, "  said  he,  "  that  is 
where  you  deceive  yourself.  Poor,  poor  Soubriard, 
I  left  him  sad  and  unhappy.  But  I  will  not  forget 
him;  the  day  is  not  ended  yet." 

The  next  day,  Sunday,  February  13,  the  Duke  of 
Berry  came  to  see  his  daughter  before  going  to  the 
King's  Mass.  After  embracing  her  he  gave  her 
back  to  her  governess,  saying:  "Don't  scold  me  any 
more ;  after  leaving  you  yesterday  I  signed  an  order 
which  will,  I  hope,  secure  Soubriard's  happiness  for 


144  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BERRY 

the  rest  of  his  life.  I  confide  the  service  of  my 
daughter  to  him;  he  is  to  be  my  huntsman."  Then, 
although  in  haste  to  get  away,  he  stopped  to  tell 
Madame  de  Gontaut  in  confidence  that  he  was  cer- 
tain that  in  a  few  months  the  Duchess,  his  wife, 
would  contribute  another  infant  to  his  happiness. 
His  face  shone  with  joy. 

For  some  days  anonymous  letters  had  been 
announcing  to  him  that  a  tragical  death  was  im- 
pending over  him.  But,  brave  as  his  sword,  the 
descendant  of  Henri  IV.  scorned  such  threats. 
When  he  was  entreated  to  take  precautions :  "  What 
would  you  have  ?  "  said  he.  "  If  any  one  has  made 
the  sacrifice  of  his  own  life  in  order  to  take  mine,  he 
will  succeed  in  executing  his  project  one  day  or 
other,  whatever  precautions  one  takes.  In  the  con- 
trary case  I  should  have  made  myself  needlessly 
unhappy."  He  considered  politics  as  a  battle-field, 
and  was  as  calm  in  front  of  the  poniards  of  assassins 
as  in  front  of  cannon-balls.  For  a  long  time  he  had 
not  permitted  the  guards  to  form  a  double  line  when 
he  went  into  or  came  out  of  a  theatre.  Not  merely 
did  he  object  to  being  guarded,  but  he  complained 
at  being  the  object  of  a  surveillance  which  annoyed 
him.  He  especially  desired  to  get  rid  of  a  man, 
belonging  doubtless  to  the  police,  whom  he  found  on 
his  track  wherever  he  went.  He  requested  Baron 
d'Haussez  to  speak  about  it  to  M.  Decazes.  On 
February  13,  M.  d'Haussez  came  to  tell  the  Prince 
about  his   interview  with  the  minister.     It  turned 


THE  DUKE  OF  BEBBY  145 


out  that  the  man  in  question,  far  from  belonging  to 
the  police,  was  a  suspected  individual  on  whom  they 
were  going  to  keep  their  eyes.  The  Duke  of  Berry 
was  satisfied  with  the  explanation,  and  said,  smiling, 
"  I  hope  that  my  restoration  to  the  minister's  favor 
will  last  at  least  until  next  summer ;  for  then  I  hope 
to  go  and  chase  the  chamois  and  the  bear  in  the 
Alps." 

The  Prince  spent  the  remainder  of  the  day  gaily ; 
he  was  happy  as  a  prince,  as  a  Frenchman,  and  as  a 
husband.  In  the  evening  he  went  with  his  wife  to 
the  Opera. 


XVIII 


LOUVEL 


WHILE  the  Duke  of  Berry,  holding  himself 
aloof  from  political  intrigues  and  agitations, 
was  living  peaceably  at  the  Elysee  with  his  amiable 
wife,  and  winning  the  approbation  not  merely  of  the 
friends,  but  the  enemies  of  the  Restoration  by  his 
circumspect  attitude,  a  man  to  whom  he  had  never 
done  the  slightest  harm,  a  man  who  had  never 
spoken  to  him,  and  who  had  no  manner  of  acquaint- 
ance with  him,  was  pursuing  him  with  a  ferocious 
and  implacable  hatred.  This  absolutely  obscure 
individual  was  preparing  to  win  for  himself,  at  one 
stroke,  the  horrible  celebrity  of  crime.  He  was  a 
saddler  named  Louvel.  Cold,  taciturn,  and  solitary, 
he  worked  at  his  trade  with  the  utmost  punctu- 
ality. His  comrades  would  have  been  greatly 
surprised  had  any  one  come  to  tell  them  that  this 
workman  was  getting  ready  for  a  crime  which  would 
make  an  immense  commotion  throughout  the  world. 
Nothing  in  his  relations,  language,  or  habits  could 

^  See  M.  de  Nauroy's  remarkable  work,  Le  Due  de  Berry  et 
Louvel. 

146 


LOUYEL  147 


suggest  anything  of  the  sort.  History  abounds  in 
dramatic  strokes  which  no  playwright  could  have 
invented. 

What  were  the  origin  and  antecedents  of  this 
unknown  man  who  was  about  to  change  the  whole 
political  situation  from  top  to  bottom?  Louis  Pierre 
Louvel  was  born  at  Versailles,  October  7,  1783,  of 
Jean  Pierre  Louvel  and  his  second  wife,  Fran9oise 
Moutier,  both  of  them  small  shopkeepers.  He  lost 
his  mother  when  he  was  two  years  old,  and  his  father 
when  he  was  twelve.  An  elder  sister,  Th^rese, 
entered  him  at  the  Institute  of  the  Children  of  the 
Country,  at  Versailles,  where,  receiving  gratuitous 
elementary  instruction,  as  it  was  then  understood, 
he  learned  to  read  in  the  Constitution  of  1791,  and 
the  Declaration  of  the  Rights  of  Man.  Theophilan- 
thropic  hymns  took  the  place  of  the  catechism  for 
him.  He  was  apprenticed  to  a  saddler  at  Montfort- 
I'Amaury,  but  being  taken  away  again  by  his  sister, 
who  was  alarmed  by  his  weakly  constitution,  he 
assisted  her  for  a  time  in  her  haberdashery  shop. 
He  was  a  sober,  industrious,  and  steady  child.  He 
used  to  buy  several  four-pound  loaves  at  a  time, 
because,  said  he,  one  eats  less  bread  when  it  is  stale. 

At  eighteen,  Louvel  made  his  tour  of  France  as 
a  workman,  and  afterwards  became  a  soldier.  He 
entered  an  artillery  regiment  of  the  imperial  guard, 
but  was  dismissed  at  the  end  of  six  months  on 
account  of  the  extreme  weakness  of  his  constitution. 
He  grieved  profoundly  over  the  invasion  of  1814 


148  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BERBY 

and  the  downfall  of  Napoleon.  His  brain  was  dis- 
ordered by  it.  Thenceforward  he  considered  himself 
as  an  avenger.  He  intended  to  strike  Louis  XVIII. 
at  the  moment  when  the  King  should  land  in  France, 
and  walked  from  Metz  to  Calais  for  that  purpose. 
At  the  same  epoch  he  had  an  idea  of  assassinating 
the  Marshal  Duke  of  Valmy  for  having  acceded  to 
the  deposition;  and  the  Count  of  Artois  as  guilty 
of  emigration.  From  Calais  he  went  to  Paris.  The 
triumphant  entry  of  the  Allies,  and  the  ovations 
offered  them  by  the  royalists  inflamed  his  exaspera- 
tion to  the  fury  of  concentrated  rage.  He  swore  to 
himself  to  kill  one  or  more  of  the  men  whom  he 
regarded  as  public  enemies  and  traitors  to  their 
country.  But  first  he  desired  to  see  the  Emperor, 
his  hero,  and  he  repaired  to  the  island  of  Elba. 
The  chief  saddler  of  the  imperial  stables  gave  him 
employment  from  September  to  November,  1814, 
Avithout  Napoleon's  surmising  the  devotion  of  this 
fanatical  admirer.  The  economic  reforms  instituted 
in  the  household  of  the  sovereign  of  Elba  caused 
Louvel's  dismission.  He  went  to  Leghorn,  and 
from  there  to  Chambery,  where  he  continued  to 
work  as  a  journeyman  saddler.  He  was  in  the 
latter  town  when  his  employer's  wife  brought  him 
a  journal  which  announced  that  Napoleon  had  just 
landed  in  the  Bay  of  Juan.  At  this  news  he  rose 
without  a  word,  and  hanging  his  working-apron  on 
a  nail,  went  to  rejoin  the  Emperor  at  Lyons.  He 
went  into  the  imperial  stables  as  a  saddler,  and  was 


LOUVEL  149 


admitted  into  tlie  train  of  vehicles  which  followed 
Napoleon  from  Paris  to  Waterloo.  He  witnessed 
the  final  disaster  with  mortal  anguish,  and  again 
followed  the  footsteps  of  the  vanquished.  The 
Emperor's  equipages  having  stopped  at  Rochelle,  he 
stopped  also,  and  it  was  there  that  he  caused  a  cutler 
to  make  Avith  great  care  the  knife  with  which  he 
intended  to  slay  a  Bourbon.  Lamartine  describes 
him  as  "  a  little  man,  thin-limbed,  wasted  by  inter- 
nal consumption,  yellow  with  bile,  pale  from  inces- 
sant emotion,  with  a  hard  glance,  compressed  lips, 
and  a  tense,  concentrated,  and  suspicious  face;  an 
image  of  fanaticism  revolving  in  a  narrow  brain,  an 
ill-comprehended  idea,  and  suffering,  until  his  fatal 
hand  should  have  unburdened  it  by  a  crime,  from  the 
weight  and  the  martyrdom  of  this  idea." 

In  1820  Louvel  was  employed  as  a  saddler  in  the 
royal  stables,  and  lived  in  the  Place  du  Carrousel  on 
that  account.  For  a  long  time  he  had  been  possessed 
by  his  monomania;  he  had  the  madness  of  crime. 
"  From  the  day  when  my  resolution  was  definitely 
taken,"  he  has  said  himself,  "I  avoided  all  intimate 
relations,  wherein,  without  intending  to  do  so,  I 
might  betray  my  secret.  If,  during  my  travels,  I 
have  always  appeared  solitary  and  taciturn,  this 
would  naturally  be  the  character  of  a  man  whose  life 
has  always  been  roving  and  sedentary.  Later  on,  I 
established  myself  at  Paris ;  my  plan  entirely  occu- 
pied me,  and  there  was  to  be  no  further  place  for 
anything  else  in  my  life.     I  even  kept  away  from 


150  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BERRY 

women,  although  I  might  be  fond  of  them.  ...  I 
was  so  far  from  giving  away  my  secret  to  any  one 
that  I  did  not  even  once  allow  myself  to  speak 
against  the  Bourbons.  That  would  have  been  a 
very  useless  imprudence." 

After  hesitating  long  over  his  choice  of  a  victim, 
Louvel  determined  to  strike  the  Duke  of  Berry,  as 
the  youngest  and  most  energetic  member  of  the 
royal  family.  But  listen  to  his  disclosures :  "  I  fol- 
lowed the  Duke  of  Berry  during  four  consecutive 
years,  to  spectacles  where  I  supposed  he  would  be 
present,  to  the  chase,  to  the  public  promenades,  and 
in  the  churches.  Several  times  I  found  good  oppor- 
tunities, but  my  courage  always  failed  me ;  in  1817, 
1818,  and  1819,  I  was  too  feeble,  and  more  than  once 
I  relinquished  my  project.  But  I  was  soon  mastered 
by  a  sentiment  which  was  stronger  than  I.  I  espe- 
cially recall  my  thoughts  one  day  when  I  was  walk- 
ing in  the  Bois  de  Boulogne  and  waiting  for  the 
Prince.  I  trembled  with  rage  when  thinking  of  the 
Bourbons ;  I  had  seen  them  returning  with  the  for- 
eigners, and  I  was  horrified  by  it;  then  my  thoughts 
took  a  different  turn;  I  believed  myself  unjust 
towards  them,  and  reproached  myself  for  my  designs ; 
but  my  anger  immediately  returned.  For  more  than 
an  hour  I  remained  fluctuating  between  these  alter- 
natives, and  was  not  yet  settled  when  the  Prince 
passed  by  and  was  saved  for  that  day.  Neither  was 
I  without  irresolution  on  February  13,  although  two 
or  three  days  earlier  I  had  sought  to  fortify  myself 


LOUVEL  151 


by  going  to  Pdre  Lachaise  to  look  at  the  graves  of 
Lannes,  Mass^na,  and  the  other  warriors." 

Louvel  was  not  an  ordinary  assassin.  He  belonged 
to  the  same  race  as  Brutus,  Aristogeiton,  Jacques 
Cldment,  and  Ravaillac,  those  victims  of  a  false  con- 
science, a  fixed  idea;  involuntary  instruments  of  a 
sort  of  fatality,  acting  neither  from  interest,  ambi- 
tion, nor  cupidity,  pushed  on  to  a  specific  crime,  and 
perhaps  to  be  pitied  as  well  as  blamed.  Such  crimi- 
nals probably  excite  less  horror  than  a  wretch  like 
Deutz.  The  man  who  kills  a  prince  is  not  so  vile 
as  the  man  who  betrays  a  woman. 

Paris,  meanwhile,  was  in  the  full  tide  of  mirth 
and  masquerading  on  the  last  Sunday  before  Lent, 
February  13,  1820.  Forgetting  party  quarrels,  all 
classes  of  society  were  amusing  themselves.  There 
had  been  a  great  ball  the  night  before  at  the  house  of 
Count  Greffulhe,  at  which  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of 
Berry  had  been  present.  Small  knives  had  been  dis- 
tributed to  the  ladies,  in  allusion  to  a  play,  the 
Petites  Danaides,  in  which  the  comic  actor,  Potier, 
was  then  amusing  all  Paris.  Were  not  these  knives 
ominous  ? 

It  is  said  that,  a  few  days  before  his  death,  Henri 
IV.,  disturbed  by  gloomy  presentiments,  remarked 
to  Sully,  "I  shall  die  in  this  city;  I  shall  never 
leave  it;  they  will  kill  me!"  and  to  the  Queen, 
Maria  de'  Medicis,  "Pass  on,  Madame  the  Regent." 
At  the  very  moment  when  he  was  being  warned  of 
the  conspiracies  formed  against  his  person,  a  rumor 


152  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BERBY 

of  his  death  was  current  in  Spain  and  at  Milan, 
and  a  week  before  his  murder  there  passed  through 
Li^ge,  so  they  say,  a  courier  who  bore  the  news  of 
his  death  to  a  German  prince. 

Similar  signs  had  been  occurring  for  some  time 
with  relation  to  the  Duke  of  Berry.  Every  day 
he  received  anonymous  letters  containing  horrible 
threats.  His  death  had  been  announced  in  London 
at  the  beginning  of  February.  But  the  Prince  was 
bravery  itself.  The  invisible  poniard  whose  point 
he  instinctively  felt  to  be  aimed  at  him,  caused  him 
neither  fear  nor  trouble.  He  was  one  of  those  men 
whose  good  nature  and  even  whose  gaiety  are  not 
disturbed  by  danger.  At  this  time  he  thought  of 
nothing  but  amusing  himself  while  amusing  his 
young  wife,  always  so  eager  for  pleasures  and  diver- 
sions. 

During  the  day  the  Parisians  had  enjoyed  one  of 
their  favorite  sights,  the  fat  ox  led  in  procession 
round  the  city  at  Shrovetide.  After  watching  the 
procession,  Louvel  returned  home  to  get  a  second 
poniard,  and  then  went  to  dinner  in  a  restaurant 
where  he  boarded.  In  the  evening  there  were  two 
aristocratic  balls,  —  one  at  the  house  of  Marshal 
Suchet,  Duke  of  Albufera,  in  the  rue  du  Faubourg 
Saint-Honore ;  and  the  other,  a  masquerade,  at  the 
house  of  Madame  de  La  Briche,  in  the  rue  de  la 
Ville  I'Ev^que.  It  was  supposed  that  the  Duke 
and  Duchess  of  Berry  would  not  attend  these  balls, 
but  would  go  to  the  Opera,  where  there  was  to  be 


LOUVEL  153 


an  extraordinary  representation  which  promised  to 
be  very  brilliant. 

The  JVoces  de  Cramache^  the  Bossignol,  and  the 
Carnaval  de  Venise  were  to  be  given.  The  latter 
piece  was  a  ballet  whose  music  was  composed  by 
Persuis  and  Lesueur.  Albert  and  La  Bigottini 
interpreted  the  principal  r61es.  A  dancer  named 
Elie,  who  was  to  replace  M^rante  in  the  r61e  of 
Polichinello,  and  who  wished  to  surpass  him,  was 
the  subject  of  much  comment:  people  said  he  had 
studied  with  S^raphin,  by  watching  the  artificial 
movements  of  his  little  wooden  puppets. 

The  Opera-house  was  at  this  time  in  the  rue 
Richelieu,  opposite  the  Royal  Library.  It  was 
inaugurated  August  7,  1794,  and  occupied  the  site 
of  the  present  Louvois  Square.  It  had  five  tiers  of 
boxes,  including  those  on  a  level  with  the  pit.  It 
could  seat  something  like  sixteen  hundred  and  fifty 
persons;  and  while  its  exterior  was  not  at  all  im- 
posing, the  interior  was  a  masterpiece  of  elegance. 

A  special  entrance  on  one  side  of  the  edifice,  just 
opposite  the  rue  Rameau,  was  reserved  for  the  royal 
family.  It  was  there  that  Louvel  awaited  the  com- 
ing of  his  victim.  "Great  personages,"  said  he 
later  on,  "  make  a  mistake  in  taking  so  few  precau- 
tions as  they  do,  especially  when  they  have  sins  on 
their  consciences.  In  this  respect  the  German 
princes  are  more  prudent  than  our  own.  When  they 
are  getting  into  a  carriage,  the  soldiers,  instead  of 
presenting  arms   to  them,  as   ours   do,    turn   their 


154  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BERBY 

backs ;  they  are  quite  in  the  right,  for  nobody  can 
then  approach  without  being  seen.  I  have  noticed 
another  thing :  when  the  Prince  entered  the  Opera, 
towards  eight  o'clock,  the  servants  cried  out  to  the 
coachman  in  such  a  way  that  I  understood  them  per- 
fectly :  '  Come  back  at  a  quarter  before  eleven. '  This 
was  an  imprudence,  and  I  profited  by  it." 

The  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Berry  had  just  entered 
the  hall.  Louvel,  possibly  hesitating  still,  wan- 
dered up  and  down  between  the  Opera  and  the  Palais 
Royal,  awaiting  the  moment  when  the  Duke  should 
leave  the  theatre. 


XIX 

THE  MURDER   OF  THE  DUKE  OF  BERRY 

IT  is  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening.  The  Duke 
and  Duchess  of  Berry  have  just  entered  the 
Opera-house,  and  all  the  lorgnettes  are  levelled  at 
them.  The  audience  is  very  large.  The  boxes  are 
filled  with  women  covered  with  diamonds.  Every- 
thing wears  an  air  of  festivity.  The  representation 
is  to  be  more  brilliant  and  elegant  than  the  others. 
The  joy  of  the  spectators  is  depicted  on  their  faces. 
The  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Orleans,  who  are  in  a  box 
with  their  family,  exchange  friendly  signs  with  the 
Duke  and  Duchess  of  Berry.  The  Rossignol  and 
the  JSfoces  de  G-amache  are  successful.  The  specta- 
cle is  to  terminate  with  the  ballet  of  the  Carnaval  de 
Venise^  the  principal  attraction  of  the  evening. 

What  is  Louvel  doing  all  this  time  ?  He  roams 
about  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  theatre,  still  pon- 
dering whether  to  strike  or  to  spare  the  object  of  his 
hatred.  "At  eight  o'clock,"  he  will  say  afterwards, 
"  I  was  in  front  of  the  Opera-house,  and  I  could  have 
killed  the  Prince  when  he  entered,  but  at  that 
moment  my  courage  failed  me.  I  heard  the  rendez- 
vous given  for  a  quarter  before  eleven ;  but  neverthe- 

155 


156  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BEBBY 

less  I  went  awa}^,  fully  resolved  to  go  to  bed.  In 
the  Palais  Royal,  my  thoughts  returned  more  forci- 
bly than  ever.  I  reflected  that  I  must  return  to 
Versailles  at  the  end  of  the  month,  and  that  then  my 
project  would  be  adjourned  for  a  long  time.  I  began 
to  ponder,  and  I  said  to  myself:  *If  I  am  right,  why 
does  my  courage  fail  me  ?  If  I  am  wrong,  why  do 
not  these  ideas  leave  me  ? '  I  decided  then  upon 
that  very  evening.  It  was  barely  nine  o'clock,  and 
while  awaiting  the  given  hour,  I  walked  up  and 
down  between  the  Palais  Royal  and  the  Opera-house 
without  my  resolution  weakening,  unless  it  might 
be  at  long  intervals,  and  then  for  a  few  instants 
only." 

Meanwhile  the  performance  is  going  on.  Between 
the  acts  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Berry  go  to  pay  a 
visit  to  the  box  of  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Orleans. 
The  Duke  of  Berry,  who  is  very  fond  of  children, 
caresses  those  of  his  cousin.  He  bestows  especial 
attention  on  the  Duke  of  Chartres,  his  favorite,  and 
is  seen  passing  his  hand  often  through  the  little 
Prince's  fair  hair.  The  audience,  pleased  with  the 
cordial  relations  existing  between  the  two  branches 
of  the  Bourbon  family,  applaud  them  several  times. 
On  returning  to  her  box,  the  Duchess  of  Berry  is 
jostled  with  some  violence  by  the  door  of  another 
box.  She  had  gone  to  bed  very  late  the  night 
before,  and  her  husband  proposes  that  she  shall 
return  home.  He  will  attend  her  to  her  carriage 
and  then  return  to  the  hall  to  see  the  end  of  the 


TUE  MUBDER   OF  THE  DUKE  OF  BERRY       157 


ballet.  The  Princess  accepts  this  offer,  and  goes 
down  the  stairway  of  the  theatre,  leaning  on  her 
husband's  arm.     It  wants  some  minutes  of  eleven. 

Louvel  is  before  the  door.  Posted  near  a  cabriolet 
which  follows  the  carriage  of  the  Prince,  and  stand- 
ing at  the  horse's  head,  he  seems  to  be  a  domestic, 
and  attracts  nobody's  attention.  The  Duke's  car- 
riage draws  up  before  the  Princes'  door,  opposite  the 
rue  Rameau.  The  guards  beneath  the  vestibule  and 
the  sentry  who  has  his  back  toward  the  rue  Richelieu 
present  arms.  Here  are  the  Duke  and  Duchess 
under  the  penthouse  of  the  portico.  The  Count  of 
Choiseul,  aide-de-camp  to  the  Prince,  is  at  the  sen- 
try's right,  in  the  angle  of  the  entrance  door.  The 
Count  of  Mesnard,  chief  equerry  to  the  Duchess, 
offers  his  left  hand  first  to  her  and  afterwards  to  her 
lady-in-waiting,  the  Countess  of  Bdthisy,  to  assist 
them  in  entering  the  carriage.  The  Duke  gives 
them  his  right  hand.  One  of  the  servants  shuts  up 
the  steps  of  the  carriage. 

Still  standing  under  the  penthouse,  the  Duke 
waves  his  hand  to  his  wife,  and  says,  "Adieu, 
Caroline;  we  shall  see  each  other  presently."  All 
of  a  sudden,  just  as  he  is  about  to  re-enter  the  hall, 
a  man  throws  himself  upon  him,  and  seizing  his  left 
shoulder  with  one  hand,  gives  him  a  poniard  thrust 
under  the  right  breast  with  the  other.  The  Count 
of  Choiseul,  thinking  that  this  man  has  involuntarily 
jostled  against  the  Prince  while  running,  pushes 
him  back,  saying,   "  Take  care  what  you  are  doing. " 


158  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBEY 

The  murderer  takes  flight,  leaving  his  poniard  in  the 
wound.  "I  am  assassinated!"  cries  the  Prince. 
And  as  those  about  him  question  him,  he  cries  a 
second  time,  in  a  loud  voice,  "I  am  a  dead  man; 
I  have  the  poniard  in  me !  "  Then  he  tears  the  knife 
from  his  wound  and  gives  it  into  the  hands  of  the 
Count  of  Mesnard.  The  Princess,  whose  carriage 
has  not  yet  started,  has  heard  her  husband's  cry  of 
anguish,  and  while  others  are  running  in  pursuit  of 
the  assassin,  she  flings  herself  out  of  the  door,  which 
is  opened  by  a  footman.  Madame  de  Bethisy  tries 
to  hold  her  back.  The  Duke  of  Berry,  summoning 
all  his  strength,  calls  out,  "  Wife,  I  beg  you  not  to 
get  out."  But  she,  springing  over  the  carriage 
steps,  and  pushing  away  with  both  hand  Madame  de 
Bethisy  and  the  footman,  cries,  "Let  me  alone,  let 
me  alone;  I  order  you  to  let  me  alone."  Alighting 
from  the  carriage,  she  receives  her  husband  in  her 
arms  at  the  very  moment  when  he  had  just  handed 
the  bloody  knife  to  M.  de  Mesnard,  and  as  he  was 
exclaiming,  "I  am  dying;  a  priest;  come,  wife,  let 
me  die  in  your  arms."  They  made  him  sit  down  on 
a  bench  in  the  passageway  where  the  guards  were, 
leaned  his  back  against  the  wall,  and  opened  his 
clothes  to  look  for  the  wound.  The  blood  flowed  so 
abundantly  that  the  Princess  tried  in  vain  to  staunch 
it.  Her  robe  and  that  of  Madame  de  Bethisy  were 
covered  with  it. 

Meanwhile  the  assassin  was  fleeing,  hotly  pursued 
by  the  Count  of  Choiseul,  Count  Clermont-Lod^ve, 


f 

THE  MUBDER    OF  THE  DUKE  OF  BEBRT        159 

Desbi^s  the  sentry,  a  footman,  and  several  other  per- 
sons. What  would  Louvel  have  done,  had  he  not 
been  arrested?  He  will  tell  us  himself  later  on. 
"If  I  had  succeeded  in  escaping  on  the  evening 
when  I  struck  the  Prince,"  he  will  say,  "I  should 
have  returned  to  sleep  at  my  usual  lodgings  in  the 
King's  stables,  where  certainly  nobody  would  have 
suspected  me,  and  I  should  have  continued  to  carry 
out  my  plans  on  some  other  member  of  the  family. 
Perhaps  I  should  have  stopped  after  Monsieur; 
because,  as  to  the  King,  I  do  not  think  he  has  ever 
borne  arms  against  France.  And  the  only  thing  I 
regret  to-day  is  that  I  was  taken  so  soon." 

Louvel  is  taken.  At  the  moment  when  he  was 
running  at  full  speed  in  the  rue  Richelieu,  toward 
the  boulevard,  the  street  lights  showed  him  as  he 
upset  in  his  flight  a  lemonade-seller,  Paulmier  by 
name,  who  was  passing  near  the  Colbert  Arcade, 
carrying  a  tray,  on  which  his  beverages  were  spread, 
to  the  Opera-house.  This  fellow  runs  after  the 
man  who  had  thrown  down  his  tray.  Louvel  is  ar- 
rested, and  taken  to  the  watch-house  of  the  Opera. 
M.  de  Clermont  is  the  first  one  who  spoke  to  him. 
"Monster,"  says  he,  "who  could  have  induced  you 
to  commit  ^uch  a  crime?"  The  murderer  replies, 
"The  most  cruel  enemies  of  France."  They  fancy 
he  is  about  to  make  avowals  and  name  his  accom- 
plices. Not  at  all.  Louvel's  phrase  is  neither  an 
expression  of  repentance  nor  an  allusion  to  accom- 
plices.    It  is  merely  an  insult  offered  by  the  assassin 


160  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BEBBY 

to  the  family  of  his  victim.  He  is  searched,  and 
they  find  on  him  the  sheath  of  the  weapon  he  had 
left  in  the  Prince's  wound,  and  also  a  sort  of  stiletto 
of  a  different  shape. 

During  this  time,  the  Duke  of  Berry  has  been 
taken  up  stairs  to  the  little  salon  behind  his  box. 
He  is  placed  on  a  sofa,  with  his  head  resting  on 
his  wife's  shoulder.  The  Duke  and  Duchess  of 
Orleans,  and  also  Mademoiselle  d' Orleans,  who  have 
just  been  notified  in  their  box,  hasten  to  this  little 
salon.  There  the  Count  of  Clermont  announces  that 
the  assassin  has  been  arrested.  "  Is  he  a  foreigner  ?  " 
asks  the  Prince.  As  some  one  answers  no,  he 
exclaims,  "  It  is  very  cruel  to  die  by  the  hand  of  a 
Frenchman." 

Meanwhile  the  performance  continues.  The  audi- 
ence does  not  know  what  has  just  happened.  The 
ballet  is  a  wonderful  success.  From  the  salon  where 
the  Prince  is  agonizing,  one  can  hear  the  music, 
and  through  a  large  window  which  opens  into  the  box 
from  this  salon,  even  the  dancing  women  on  the 
stage  can  be  seen.  Truly  a  Shakespearean  contrast 
between  the  death  agony  and  pleasure. 

Two  doctors,  MM.  Lacroix  and  Caseneuve,  had 
arrived  instantly.  They  have  bled  him  in  the  arm 
and  tried  to  enlarge  the  wound  so  as  to  make  a 
passage  for  the  extravasated  blood.  Another  physi- 
cian. Doctor  Blancheton,  is  there.  "Is  the  wound 
mortal?"  the  Duchess  of  Berry  says  to  him.  "I 
have  courage,  I  have  plenty  of  it ;  I  can  endure  any- 


THE  MURDER   OF  THE  DUKE  OF  BERRY        161 

thing,  and  I  ask  you  for  the  truth."  The  doctor 
dares  not  express  his  opinion. 

The  Prince  asks  to  see  his  daughter  and  the 
Bishop  of  Amyclee.  M.  de  Clermont  hastens  to  the 
Tuileries  in  search  of  the  prelate.  Some  one  else 
goes  to  the  Elys^e  to  give  the  tidings  to  Madame  de 
Gontaut,  Mademoiselle's  governess.  M.  de  Mesnard 
undertakes  to  apprise  Monsieur,  and  also  the  Duke 
and  Duchess  of  Angouleme. 

One  of  the  first  places  to  which  the  fatal  news 
arrives  is  the  salon  of  Marshal  Suchet,  Duke  of 
Albuf^ra,  where  a  magnificent  ball  is  going  on. 
The  Duchess  of  Reggio,  who  is  present,  quits  the 
ball-room  in  great  haste.  The  dances  are  stopped. 
I  recall  Victor  Hugo's  verses  on  the  death  of  the 
Duke  of  Berry :  — 

"  Calm  down  the  transports  of  insensate  madness ; 

'Tween  joy  and  sorrow  short  the  passage  of  the  hours; 
Death  loves  to  lay  his  hand  so  fraught  with  sadness, 
Ice-cold,  on  foreheads  crowned  with  flowers. 

"  To-morrow,  soiled  with  ashes,  humbled,  bowed  to  earth, 
The  vain  remembrance  of  our  mirth 

Shall  haunt  us  almost  like  remorse. 
Sepulchral  pomps  shall  follow  on  our  plays; 
For  with  us,  wretches!    Saturnalian  lays 

But  usher  in  the  chant  above  the  corse." 

The  guests  of  Madame  de  La  Briche,  the  mother- 
in-law  of  the  Count  of  Mol^,  among  whom  were  sev- 
eral members  of  the  Prince's  household,  are  in  full 


162  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBBY 

masquerade  when  they  learn  the  news.  Listen  te 
the  account  of  an  eye-witness,  M.  de  Remusat: 
"Some  thirty  persons  in  society,"  says  he,  "had 
dropped  in  on  Madame  de  La  Briche  in  more  or 
less  grotesque  costumes  and  accompanied  by  fiddlers. 
They  were  dancing  when  some  one  came  to  look  for 
M.  de  B^thisy,  who  commanded  the  guard  at  the 
palace,  and  for  M.  F.  de  Chabot,  who  was  aide-de- 
camp to  the  Prince.  The  news  spread  at  once ;  the 
dancing  stopped,  and  everybody  found  themselves 
on  their  feet  and  talking  in  undertones ;  a  dull  mur- 
mur succeeded  the  noise  that  had  been  going  on ;  the 
musicians  had  disappeared  without  my  being  able  to 
guess  how.  It  was  one  of  the  most  dramatic  effects 
I  ever  saw.  Some  men  had  gone  out  and  come  in 
again;  various  accounts  had  been  related.  The 
effect  they  produced  was  curious.  More  than  one 
face  hid,  under  an  expression  of  grief,  another  of 
malignant  joy  and  the  famous  'I  told  you  so!' 
Some  even  said,  'If  he  is  not  very  badly  wounded, 
all  this  is  fortunate.'  Others  added,  ''For  the  coun- 
try^ was  engraved  on  the  poniard. '  Still  others  said, 
'It  is  all  very  simple,  considering  how  things  are 
going. '  A  friend  of  mine  was  obliged  to  retire  in 
tears  over  the  revolting  absurdity  of  certain  reflec- 
tions that  were  made.  A  young  man  remarked 
naively,  thinking,  apparently,  of  the  balls  that  he 
would  lose,  'Eh!  what  a  horrible  thing,  to  choose 
Shrove  Sunday  for  it ! '  And  it  was  odd  enough  to 
see  a  peer  of  the  realm,  M.  de  M  .  .  .  ,  dressed  as 


THE  MUBDER   OF  THE  DUKE  OF  BEBRY        163 

a  woman,  with  a  toque  and  a  great  bare  neck,  talk- 
ing very  seriously  and  sadly  in  that  costume." 

At  the  Elys^e  some  one  has  just  rudely  awakened 
the  Viscountess  of  Gontaut,  the  governess  of  Made- 
moiselle, who  must  be  taken  to  her  dying  father.  The 
vestibule  is  already  filled  with  maskers,  people,  and 
ladies  in  ball  dresses,  who  are  crying  and  weeping. 
Madame  de  Gontaut  perceives  M.  Decazes  and  M. 
de  S<^monville  in  this  crowd.  "Calm  yourself,"  the 
latter  says  to  her,  "Monsieur  the  Duke  of  Berry  has 
been  wounded  by  an  assassin,  but  he  is  not  dead." 
She  entreats  M.  Decazes  to  tell  her  what  he  knows 
the  moment  she  approaches  him.  "Oh,  speak, 
speak!  "  she  exclaims;  "I  have  a  right  to  know  all, 
and  in  the  place  you  occupy  nothing  can  be  a  secret 
for  you.  For  mercy's  sake,  speak!"  M.  Decazes 
answers,  "  The  Duke  of  Berry  has  been  assassinated 
as  he  was  leaving  the  Opera ;  he  is  still  living,  and 
if  the  poniard  was  not  poisoned,  his  wound  may  not 
be  mortal."  —  "But  you  are  here.  Monseigneur  is 
here  too,  then?"  "No;  he  is  at  the  Opera.  I 
came  to  assure  myself  of  his  safety  in  case  he  had 
been  brought  back;  I  find  nobody  to  take  my 
orders."  —  "I  will  give  them;  everything  shall  be 
lighted  up  and  ready.  ...  But  as  I  was  approach- 
ing just  now,  I  thought  I  heard  you  say  poison." 
"True;  I  fear  lest  the  poniard  may  have  been 
poisoned.  The  assassin  has  been  arrested,  and  I  am 
going  to  question  him." 

Madame  de  Gontaut  gets  into  a  carriage  with  the 


164  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBRY 

little  Princess  in  the  midst  of  an  immense  crowd, 
filled  with  consternation  and  lighted  up  by  dismal 
torches ;  not  a  word,  an  almost  religious  silence,  an 
expression  of  chagrin  on  all  faces.  She  reaches  the 
chamber  of  sadness  with  the  poor  child. 

The  Duke  of  Berry  is  no  longer  in  the  small  salon 
near  his  box.  He  has  been  carried  to  a  hall  used  by 
the  directors  of  the  Opera;  he  is  lying  on  a  bed 
where,  by  a  strange  coincidence,  he  had  passed  the 
first  night  of  his  stay  in  France,  at  the  beginning  of 
the  Restoration.  This  bed  belongs  to  M.  Grandsire, 
secretary  to  the  Opera,  who,  living  in  Cherbourg  in 
April,  1814,  had  lent  it  for  the  accommodation  of 
the  Duke  of  Berry  when  the  Prince  landed  at  that 
port.  Monsieur,  the  dying  man's  father,  the  Duke 
of  Angouleme,  his  brother,  and  the  Duchess  of 
Angouleme,  his  sister-in-law,  are  standing  near 
him.  When  Madame  de  Gontaut  enters  with  the 
little  Princess,  the  Duchess  of  Berry  takes  her 
daughter  and  presents  her  to  the  unfortunate  Prince. 
He  makes  an  effort  to  embrace  her.  "  Poor  child !  " 
he  exclaims,  "  mayst  thou  be  less  unhappy  than  thy 
, father!  "  He  extends  his  arms  and  tries  to  give  her 
his  blessing. 

Still,  all  hope  of  saving  the  Prince  is  not  yet 
relinquished.  The  best  surgeons  of  Paris,  among 
others  MM.  Dupuytren  and  Dubois  have  been  sum- 
moned. Deep  incisions  have  been  made,  and  the 
wound  unbandaged;  the  application  of  numerous 
leeches  and  cupping-glasses  has  resulted  in  streams 


THE  MUBBEB   OF  THE  DUKE  OF  BEBBY        165 

of  blood;  and  as  the  burdened  chest  seems  relieved 
for  a  moment,  there  is  a  momentary  hope.  Every 
one  who  comes  out  of  the  bloody  laboratory  is 
besieged  for  news.  General  Alexandre  de  Girardin 
is  heard  relating  that  he  had  been  left  for  dead  on  the 
battle-field,  and  nevertheless  had  recovered  from  his 
wounds.  But  the  Prince  is  not  under  the  slightest 
illusion.  "Your  efforts,  for  which  I  thank  you,"  he 
says  to  the  surgeons,  "  cannot  prolong  my  existence ; 
my  wound  is  mortal." 

The  Duchess  of  Berry  does  not  leave  her  husband 
for  an  instant.  Before  beginning  his  surgical  opera- 
tions, M.  Dupuytren  had  asked  Monsieur  to  remove 
the  Princess.  "Father,"  she  exclaims,  "do  not 
force  me  to  disobey  you."  Then,  addressing  herself 
to  the  surgeon,  "I  shall  not  interrupt  you,  sir;  go 
on."  Kneeling  en  the  side  of  the  bed  during  the 
operation,  she  holds  the  Prince's  left  hand,  which 
she  waters  with  her  tears.  When,  feeling  the  iron 
in  his  wound,  he  cries,  "  Let  me  alone,  since  I  must 
die,"  she  says  to  him,  "Suffer  for  love  of  me,  my 
dear,"  and  the  dying  man  makes  not  another  com- 
plaint. "My  dear,"  he  says  to  her,  "don't  allow 
yourself  to  be  overcome  by  grief ;  take  care  of  joni- 
self  for  the  sake  of  the  child  you  have  yet  to 
bear."  Several  times  he  asks  to  see  his  assassin. 
"What  have  I  done  to  that  man?"  he  exclaims; 
"could  I  have  offended  him  without  intending  it?" 
—  "No,"  answers  his  father;  "you  have  never  seen 
him,  and  he  has  no  personal  hatred  whatever  against 


166  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEE  BY 

you."  "He  is  a  lunatic  then."  And  thereafter  his 
fixed  idea  is  to  save  the  life  of  his  assassin.  "  The 
King  does  not  come,"  he  kept  on  saying;  "I  shall 
not  have  time  to  ask  for  the  man's  pardon." 

The  Prince  is  about  to  die  like  a  saint.  Listen  to 
Lamartine :  — 

"  The  Duke  of  Berry's  first  word  is  to  ask,  not  for 
a  doctor,  but  for  a  priest.  Struck  down  in  the  midst 
of  the  delirium  of  youth  and  pleasure,  there  is  no 
transition  in  his  soul  between  the  thoughts  of  time 
and  the  thoughts  of  eternity.  In  one  second  he 
passes  from  the  spectacle  of  an  entertainment  to  the 
contemplation  of  his  last  end,  like  those  men  whom 
immersion  in  a  vessel  of  cold  water  suddenly  arouses 
from  the  hot  delirium  of  drunkenness.  In  this 
instantaneous  revival,  free  from  any  weakness  of 
mind,  he  shows  the  deliberate  courage  of  a  soldier. 
He  shows  now  the  faith  of  a  Christian  and  the  anx- 
ious impatience  of  a  man  who  does  not  fear  to  die, 
but  only  to  die  before  having  confessed  his  faults 
and  received  the  pledge  of  a  second  life.  His  edu- 
cation, imbibed  in  a  family  not  less  incorporated 
with  the  Church  than  with  the  throne,  discovers 
itself  in  the  depths  of  his  soul  in  proportion  as  the 
effervescence  of  life  subsides  with  his  blood.  He 
never  ceases  asking  in  a  low  voice  if  the  priest  he 
has  asked  for  has  not  arrived." 

The  priest  comes  at  last.  It  is  Mgr.  de  Latil, 
Bishop  of  Chartres,  Monsieur's  first  almoner.  "  The 
Duke  of  Berry,"  relates  Madame  de  Gontaut,  "had 


THE  MUBBEB   OF  THE  DUKE  OF  BEBBT        167 

long  experienced  an  aversion  for  this  prelate,  which 
he  said  he  could  not  even  explain ;  but  as  soon  as  he 
saw  him,  he  said  to  M.  de  Clermont-Lodeve,  who 
had  fetched  him:  'That  is  well!  God  is  giving  me 
a  trial  for  which  I  thank  Him.  I  must  make  painful 
avowals  to  the  Abbe  de  Latil,  and  receive  from  him 
hope  and  consolation."  The  dying  man  had  a  long 
interview  with  the  priest,  and  then,  calm  and  re- 
signed, he  asked  pardon  of  God  for  his  sins,  and 
of  the  persons  surrounding  him  for  the  scandal  he 
might  have  given  them.  A  few  moments  later, 
the  Cur^  of  Saint-Roch  brought  the  holy  oils.  The 
Prince  received  the  last  sacraments  with  the  most 
lively  piety.  "Ah!"  exclaimed  the  Duchess,  "I 
knew  well  that  this  beautiful  soul  was  born  for 
heaven  and  would  return  there." 

During  his  emigration  in  England,  two  daughters 
whom  he  cherished  had  been  borne  to  the  Prince  by 
a  pretty  and  ladylike  young  Englishwoman,  Miss 
Amy  Brown.  He  wishes  to  embrace  them  before  he 
dies.  He  speaks  in  a  whisper  to  his  wife,  who 
answers  aloud :  "  Let  them  come !  I  want  to  prove 
to  you  that  I  will  not  abandon  them."  She  orders 
M.  Clermont-Lodeve  to  go  and  find  the  two  young 
girls.  They  arrive  toward  the  end  of  the  night. 
The  poor  little  things  are  trembling  greatly.  Their 
father  talks  to  them  in  English ;  they  kiss  his  hand, 
and  then,  turning  to  the  Duchess  of  Berry,  they 
kneel  down.  The  Princess  raises  them,  and  leading 
them  to  Mademoiselle,  says,  "Embrace  your  sister." 


168  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BERRY 

Then,  leaning  over  her  husband,  she  says  several 
times,  "Charles,  Charles,  I  have  three  children 
now.'*  And  she  will  keep  her  word;  she  will  be  a 
second  mother  to  the  young  girls,  of  whom  one  will 
marry  the  Count  of  Faucigny,  Prince  of  Lucinge, 
father  of  the  present  deputy,  and  the  other  the 
Colonel  Baron  of  Charette,  father  of  the  general  of 
that  name. 

The  Duke  of  Berry  has  but  one  more  anxiety:  he 
wants  to  obtain  the  King's  pardon  for  Louvel.  The 
hours  go  by,  and  the  King  does  not  come.  This 
delay  causes  more  pain  to  the  dying  man  than  the 
death-struggle  itself.  Every  noise  in  the  street 
makes  him  think  that  Louis  XVIII.  is  arriving.  "  I 
hear  the  escort,"  he  says.  But  no;  the  King  is  still 
at  the  Tuileries.  At  midnight  he  received  the  first 
warning;  but  the  gravity  of  his  nephew's  condition 
was  at  first  concealed  from  him.  A  second  bulletin 
was  sent  him.  He  wished  to  set  out,  but  they 
detained  him  through  fear  of  a  conspiracy  which 
might  break  out  on  his  way.  At  last  every  pre- 
caution having  been  taken  for  guarding  the  road 
between  the  Tuileries  and  the  Opera-house,  he 
leaves  the  palace  and  repairs  to  the  dying  man.  It 
is  five  o'clock  in  the  morning.  "Father!  father!" 
cries  the  Prince,  "  the  King  is  not  coming !  Cannot 
you  promise,  in  his  name,  that  this  man's  life  shall 
be  spared?"  Just  as  he  is  pronouncing  these  words 
he  shudders.  He  hears  the  tread  of  horses  in  the 
distance.     "At  last,"  says  he,  "here  comes  the  King. 


THE  MUBBEB   OF  THE  DUKE  OF  BEEBY        169 

Oh!  that  he  would  come  quickly!  I  am  dying!" 
Louis  XYIII.  enters.  "Mercy!"  cries  the  dying, 
the  death-rattle  in  his  throat,  "mercy  for  the  man 
who  struck  me !  "  And  in  a  faint  and  muffled  voice 
repeats,  "At  least  spare  the  man's  life!  " 

•The  King  embraces  his  nephew,  and  replies,  "  We 
will  talk  about  that  another  time ;  be  calm ;  you  are 
not  so  ill  as  you  suppose."  Then  he  sits  down  near 
the  bed.  Presently  he  perceives  Miss  Brown's  two 
daughters.  The  Duchess  of  Berry  says  a  word  to 
him  in  an  undertone;  then,  presenting  the  two 
young  girls,  she  says,  "I  have  promised  to  adopt 
these  children,  and  I  ask  the  King,  in  the  name  of 
him  whom  we  cherish,  to  deign  to  bestow  his  boun- 
ties on  them."  Louis  XVIII.  reflects  for  an  instant, 
and  then,  reminding  himself  of  other  reigns,  he  says, 
"  I  will  give  the  title  of  Countess  of  Vierzon  to  one, 
and  Countess  of  Issoudun  to  the  other."  It  is 
uncertain  whether  the  dying  man  can  hear  this  prom- 
ise, which  would  have  been  a  consolation  to  him. 
The  agony  is  making  terrible  progress ;  but  he  is 
still  able  to  articulate  once  more,  "Mercy,  mercy 
for  the  man."  It  is  his  last  word.  It  is  thirty-five 
minutes  past  six  in  the  morning.  The  Duke  of 
Berry  exists  no  longer. 

They  wanted  to  remove  the  Duchess,  in  order  to 
spare  her  the  horror  of  such  a  sight.  But  she 
escapes  from  the  hands  of  those  who  seek  to  keep  her 
back,  and  throws  herself  upon  the  inanimate  body  of 
her  husband ;  then,  casting  herself  at  the  King's  feet, 


170  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BEBRY 

"Sire,"  she  exclaims,  "I  have  one  favor  to  ask  of 
Your  Majesty.  You  will  not  refuse  me.  It  is  per- 
mission to  return  to  Sicily.  I  cannot  live  here  after 
my  husband's  death."  Louis  XVIII.  tries  to  calm 
her.  She  is  carried  fainting  to  her  carriage,  and 
taken  back  to  the  Elysee.  The  courtiers  try  to 
induce  the  King  to  depart  also.  "  I  am  not  afraid  of 
the  sight  of  death,"  he  says;  "I  have  a  last  duty  to 
perform  towards  my  nephew."  And,  leaning  on 
M.  Dupuytren's  arm,  he  approaches  the  bed,  closes 
the  eyes  and  mouth  of  the  Prince,  kisses  his  hand 
and  retires,  to  return  to  the  palace  of  the  Tuileries. 
The  fatal  night  is  ended.     Day  is  breaking. 


XX 


THE  DAY  AFTER   THE  MUEDER 

THE  Duchess  of  Berry  returned  to  the  Elys^e, 
alas!  without  her  husband.  Let  us  listen  to 
Madame  de  Gontaut,  an  eye-witness  of  this  doleful 
return:  "I  sat  down  beside  her;  her  head  fell  on  my 
shoulder;  the  Duchess  of  Angouleme,  who  was  on 
the  front  seat  of  the  carriage,  supported  both  of  us. 
The  ride  was  brief.  Madame  regained  consciousness 
when  we  entered  the  court  of  the  Elysde ;  with  her 
icy  hands  she  groped  for  him  from  whom  she  had 
just  been  separated ;  to  find  herself  apart  from  him 
gave  her  a  moment  of  terrible  despair.  We  wanted 
to  take  her  to  her  apartment;  she  refused  this  and 
went  straight  to  that  of  Monseigneur.  This  was 
another  agony  for  her.  Everything  was  in  readiness 
to  receive  him  who  was  no  more ;  his  armchair  drawn 
up,  his  dressing-gown  spread  out;  all  except  him- 
self, except  life.  She  clung  to  me  convulsively,  and 
pressed  her  daughter  to  her  heart:  the  poor  little 
thing  was  frightened  and  cried.  I  entrusted  her  to 
Madame  Lemoine,  Madame  having  told  me  to  remain 
with  her.  She  wept  over  everything  belonging  to 
him;    no    longer   restraining    the   outbreak  of   her 

171 


172  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBRY 

sorrow,  her  cries  were  heartrending.  She  was 
determined  to  stay  in  this  chamber,  and  remained 
on  .her  knees  beside  the  bed,  which  she  clutched 
with  her  nervously  contracted  fingers.  She,  so 
calm,  so  courageous,  during  the  dreadful  night,  now 
abandoned  herself  to  the  very  excess  of  despair. 
She  wished  to  be  entirely  alone  with  me;  I  gently 
entreated  her  to  undress  herself,  for  her  clothes 
wese  still  wet  with  blood.  They  brought  me  her 
nightdress,  and  I  was  able  to  persuade  her  to  take 
some  repose." 

Madame  de  Gontaut  sat  down  on  the  steps  of  the 
bed,  where  for  several  hours  the  Princess  slept  the 
sleep  of  fatigue  and  youth.  Her  awakening  was 
cruel.  While  she  was  sleeping,  her  women  had  been 
preparing  her  widow's  weeds.  No  one  proposed  it 
to  her,  but  as  soon  as  she  perceived  the  costume  she 
put  it  on.  Then  she  went  to  the  Elys^e  chapel  to 
assist  at  the  Mass  offered  by  her  almoner  for  the 
repose  of  her  husband's  soul.  It  was  in  this 
widow's  dress  and  in  this  chapel  that  a  painter 
caught  a  glimpse  of  her  and  made  a  portrait  which 
she  gave  to  her  daughter's  governess.  After  some 
painful  hours,  passed  partly  in  prayer,  always  in 
sobs,  she  was  persuaded  to  take  a  little  nourish- 
ment. They  spoke  to  her  of  the  infant  yet  to  be 
born.     She  promised  to  take  care  of  herself. 

Her  father-in-law  came  to  the  Elys^e,  promising 
her  his  solicitude  and  assistance,  and  seeking  to  sus- 
tain her  courage.     But  in  her  despair  she  asked  noth- 


THE  DAY  AFTER   THE  MURDER  173 

ing  but  to  leave  France  and  return  to  Sicily,  to  go  as 
far  as  possible,  so  she  said,  from  the  place  where  he 
who  alone  could  make  her  happy  had  been  caused  to 
perish.  Monsieur  succeeded  in  calming  her  and 
induced  her  to  go  to  Saint  Cloud,  whither  she  went 
that  very  evening  with  her  daughter. 

At  Paris  the  excitement  was  general.  The  major- 
ity of  its  inhabitants  did  not  Learn  until  next  morn- 
ing the  crime  of  the  previous  night.  The  Moniteur 
of  Monday,  February  14,  said  not  a  word  about  it. 
It  contained  these  lines,  which  were  like  the  irony 
of  fate :  — 

"  To-morrow,  Tuesday,  there  will  be  theatricals  at 
the  palace  of  the  Tuileries,  in  the  Gallery  of  Diana. 
The  Opera  Comique  will  play  Picaros  et  Diego ;  the 
Vaudeville^  the  Chdteau  de  mon  oncle  ;  and  the  Varid- 
t^s,  the  farcical  comedy  which  is  having  a  run  at 
this  theatre  at  present,  V Ours  et  le  Facha.''^ 

Instead  of  the  pleasures  announced  there  was  uni- 
versal mourning  and  consternation.  Not  only  were 
the  courts,  the  Bourse,  and  the  theatres  closed,  but 
the  balls,  entertainments,  and  reunions  of  every  de- 
scription, even  those  that  were  most  insignificant,  ta 
which  the  last  days  of  the  Carnival  were  devoted, 
were  countermanded.  The  most  sinister  rumors 
were  spread  abroad.  The  murder  of  the  Duke  of 
Berry  was  said  to  be  only  the  prelude  to  other 
crimes.  A  vast  conspiracy  was  believed  to  exist. 
The  royalists  of  every  shade  were  in  the  utmost  fury. 
The  liberals  thought  they  were   ruined,  because  a 


174  THE  DUCHESS   OF  B  Eli  BY 

reaction  seemed  inevitable.  On  that  very  day  M. 
Decazes  wrote  to  M.  de  Serre,  who  was  ill  at  Nice  : 
"We  are  all  assassinated."  And  M.  de  Eemusat 
wrote  to  his  mother :  — 

"Shortly  before  the  Prince's  last  sigh  they  had 
sent  away  his  wife;  she  could  not  endure  it  and 
returned.  Monsieur  stood  at  the  door  to  keep  her 
out;  she  gave  him  a  violent  push,  and  he  fell,  and 
she  too,  and  there  they  both  were,  the  father  and  the 
wife,  rolling  about  the  floor  in  the  wounded  man's 
chamber.  I  don't  know  anything  so  heartrending 
as  that.  And  what  a  spectacle!  A  whole  royal 
family  assembled,  and  where  ?  At  the  Opera-house, 
near  an  assassinated  prince  lying  on  the  very  mat- 
tresses used  by  the  dancers  when  they  fling  them- 
selves down  from  a  high  place.  This  is  exact;  for  at 
the  first  moment  these  mattresses  were  the  first  that 
came  to  hand,  and  they  were  not  changed  again,  for 
fear  of  disturbing  him.  And  finally,  to  complete 
the  strangeness  and  the  grandeur  of  the  spectacle, 
the  Blessed  Sacrament  brought  to  and  received  in 
such  a  place!  And  this  in  presence  of  that  old 
King,  and  of  an  entire  family  which  has  seen  six  of 
its  members  perish  by  violent  deaths  within  thirty 
years!  And  what  a  barrier  does  not  this  new  crime 
raise  between  the  people  and  the  Kings!  How 
many  ties  have  been  sundered  at  a  blow !  In  what 
relations  of  suspicion  and  shame  does  not  one  behold 
the  family  which  has  received  the  blows  and  the 
nation  from  which  the  blows  proceeded!  " 


THE  DAY  AFTER    THE  MUllBEB  175 

At  eleven  in  the  morning  the  tribunes  of  the 
Chamber  of  Deputies  were  abeady  filled,  and  an 
immense  crowd  thronged  the  avenues  of  the  Palais- 
Bourbon.  Blended  anxiety  and  wrath  were  depicted 
on  all  faces.  Then  a  motion  was  made  which  proves 
to  what  a  height  the  fury  and  injustice  of  party 
spirit  can  rise.  Without  having  taken  counsel  with 
any  members  of  the  Right,  M.  Clausel  de  Cous- 
sergues  ascended  the  tribune,  and  exclaimed:  — 

"  Gentlemen,  there  is  no  law  which  fixes  the  mode 
in  which  ministers  shall  be  accused,  but  it  belongs 
to  the  nature  of  such  a  deliberation  that  it  shall  take 
place  in  public  session.  I  propose  to  the  Chamber 
to  bring  an  act  of  accusation  against  M.  Decazes, 
Minister  of  the  Interior,  as  accomplice  in  the  assas- 
sination of  the  Duke  of  Berry,  and  I  ask  to  develop 
my  proposition."  Cries  of  "Order"  proceeded  from 
many  benches.  "That  is  my  opinion,  gentlemen," 
said  M.  Clausel  de  Coussergues,  returning  to  his 
place  on  the  right. 

During  the  entire  day  Monsieur  had  refused  to  see 
visitors.  At  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  he  con- 
sented to  receive  the  Baron  of  Vitrolles.  He 
embraced  him,  and  fell  to  weeping.  After  some 
time  M.  de  Vitrolles  began  talking  politics.  Sup- 
posing the  infant  now  expected  by  the  Duchess  of 
Berry  should  prove  to  be  a  girl,  he  asked  what  was 
to  become  of  the  monarchy.  The  possible  accession 
of  the  Orleans  branch  alarmed  all  the  royalists. 
The  Spanish  branch,  moreover,  might  think  of  mak- 


176  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BEBBY 

ing  good  its  rights,  notwithstanding  its  renuncia- 
tions, the  validity  of  which  had  often  been  contested. 
To  avert  the  dangers  of  such  a  situation,  Monsieur 
ought  to  marry  again.  At  these  words  the  Coiint  of 
Artois  experienced  a  sort  of  shock.  "What!" 
exclaimed  he,  "and  it  is  you  who  do  not  fear  to 
speak  to  me  of  marriage  at  such  a  moment!"  —  "I 
am  in  despair  at  being  obliged  to  do  so,"  replied  M. 
de  Vitrolles;  "but  Monsieur's  unhappy  position  is 
such  that  in  him  the  father,  even  at  this  moment, 
ought  to  give  place  to  the  political  man,  and  that 
France  and  the  monarchy  should  take  precedence  of 
his  grief."  The  adviser  of  the  Count  of  Artois  went 
on  to  say  that  the  woman  who  seemed  most  suitable 
for  the  Prince  was  the  Duchess  of  Lucca,  Marie 
Louise  de  Bourbon,  former  Queen  of  Etruria,  daugh- 
ter of  Charles  lY.,  King  of  Spain,  sister  of  Ferdinand 
VIL,  Avidow  of  a  Bourbon  of  the  Parma  branch,  and 
mother  of  a  son  aged  twenty;  this  young  man  might 
be  summoned  to  France  and  made  colonel  of  a  regi- 
ment of  the  guard,  and  if  the  Duchess  of  Berry  did 
'  not  bring  a  son  into  the  world,  he  might  be  made 
the  heir  of  the  elder  branch  of  the  Bourbons.  M.  de 
Vitrolles  has  claimed  that,  far  from  disapproving. 
Monsieur  pressed  him  with  questions  concerning  the 
age,  appearance,  and  habits  of  the  Duchess  of  Lucca. 
Such  a  scheme  shows  how  disturbed  the  minds  of 
royalists  were. 

Their  rage  against  M.  Decazes,  from  whom  Louis 
XVIII.  persisted  in  his  unwillingness  to  separate, 


THE  DAY  AFTER   THE  MURDER  177 

rose  to  madness,  to  frenzy.  Their  journals,  on  Feb- 
ruary 15,  contained  an  avalanche  of  insults,  a  torrent 
of  anathemas  against  the  favorite. 

According  to  the  Gazette  de  France^  ministers 
whose  complicity  with  Louvel  was  incontestable 
could  not  be  left  at  the  head  of  the  government. 
The  Drapeau  hlanc  declared  that  the  real  criminals 
were  the  seditious  writers  who  had  for  a  long  time 
been  preaching  revolt  and  sacrilege,  the  unworthy 
and  perjured  deputies  who  had  defended  a  priestly 
assassin,  and  above  all  the  fatal  man  who  had 
warmed,  nourished,  caressed,  and  unchained  the 
revolutionary  tiger.  "Yes,  M.  Decazes,"  added  the 
author  of  the  article,  "it  is  you  who  have  slain 
the  Duke  of  Berr}^  Weep  tears  of  blood,  obtain 
the  pardon  of  Heaven,  but  the  country  will  never 
forgive  you." 

The  same  day,  M.  de  Sainte-Aulaire,  the  father- 
in-law  of  the  calumniated  minister,  ascended  the 
tribune  of  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  and  said :  "  Since 
M.  Clausel  de  Coussergues,  instead  of  permitting 
his  proceeding  of  yesterday  to  be  attributed  to  an 
only  too  legitimate  grief,  persists  in  an  accusation 
Avhich  is  simply  the  monument  of  his  insanity,  I 
do  not  oppose  his  proposition  being  placed  on  the 
minutes.  I  limit  myself  to  demanding  that  my 
response  to  it  shall  also  be  placed  there.  This 
response  will  not  be  length3^  I  shall  merely  say  to 
him:  You  are  a  calumniator."  M.  Clausel  de  Cous- 
sergues, without  leaving  his  seat,  contented  himself 


178  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBBY 

with  replying,  "France  will  judge."  During  the 
same  session,  M.  Decazes,  remaining  impassible  in 
the  face  of  so  many  outrages,  submitted  to  the  Cham- 
ber a  bill  suspending  individual  liberty. 

The  ultras,  seeing  that  their  enemy  was  not  yet 
overthrown,  pushed  their  fury  beyond  all  bounds. 
The  rage  of  the  women,  especially,  was  almost 
epileptic.  When  the  salons  break  loose,  their  vio- 
lence is  not  outdone  by  that  of  the  most  ferocious 
clubs.  Court  ladies  were  heard  to  exclaim,  "What 
a  pity  that  the  relaxation  of  the  penal  laws  no  longer 
permits  tortures  proportionate  to  the  enormity  of  his 
crime  to  be  applied  to  Louvel, — tortures  which  would 
wring  from  him  the  name  of  his  accomplices ! " 
Nobody  would  believe  that  the  crime  was  an  isolated 
crime.  Any  one  who  should  have  expressed  the 
notion  that  there  had  been  no  conspiracy,  that  the 
assassin  had  no  accomplices,  would  have  been  set 
down  as  an  ill-disposed  person,  a  traitor.  The 
royalist  press  waxed  into  a  formidable  crescendo  of 
hatred  and  exasperation.  The  Journal  des  Debats 
thundered  against  the  minister  "whose  policy  dis- 
mayed kings  and  peoples,  all  powerful  against  fidel- 
ity, impotent  against  perfidy."  It  called  him  a  fro- 
ward  child,  an  expectant  Bonaparte.  The  Drapeau 
hlanc  stated  that  on  the  night  of  the  murder  the 
president  of  the  Council  had  said  something  in 
Louvel's  ear,  "doubtless  to  give  him  some  secret 
instruction."  The  Gazette  de  France  declared  that 
if  he  remained  minister,  "civilization  was  compro- 


THE  DAY  AFTER    THE  MUBDEB  179 

mised,  and  hell  broken  loose."  M.  de  Chateaubriand 
wrote  that  the  guiltiest  hand  was  not  that  which 
struck  the  blow,  and  that  he  should  pity  M.  Decazes 
if  that  minister  consented  to  "dye  his  dictatorial 
purple  in  the  blood  of  the  Duke  of  Berry."  On  all 
sides,  the  ultras  exclaimed,  "If  this  man  remains  in 
power,  we  are  all  ruined,  the  monarchy  is  ended,  the 
King  and  all  his  family  will  be  assassinated."  — 
"Yes,  Sire,"  said  President  Siguier,  speaking  on 
behalf  of  the  magistrates  of  the  royal  court  of  Paris, 
"there  exists  a  permanent  conspiracy  against  the 
Bourbons,  and  ferocious  joy  has  shown  itself  amid 
the  general  consternation.  May  not  the  pure  blood 
which  has  flowed  merely  irritate  thirst  ?  " 

The  more  his  favorite  minister  was  attacked,  the 
more  bent  was  Louis  XVIII.  on  his  defence.  "  The 
wolves,"  said  he,  "ask  nothing  of  the  shepherd  but 
to  sacrifice  the  dog."  To  him,  the  dismission  of  M. 
Decazes  would  have  seemed  an  abdication.  Four 
days  had  gone  by  since  the  murder  of  the  Duke  of 
Berry,  and  the  minister  still  held  office.  Word  had 
been  sent  him  that  if  he  dared  present  himself  at  the 
house  of  the  victim's  father,  he  would  never  leave 
the  hall  of  the  body-guards  alive.  And  yet  he  dared 
go  thither.  And  the  ultras  said  to  each  other,  de- 
spairingly, that  Monsieur  had  been  weak  enough  to 
receive  him  politely,  and  even  to  say  to  him,  "  I  am 
greatly  touched  by  your  sympathy." 

On  the  morning  of  February  18  M.  de  Vitrolles 
was  visited  by  several  officers  of  the  royal  guard. 


180  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBRY 

"  Tilings  ought  not  to  go  on  in  this  way  any  longer," 
said  they;  "the  reign  of  M.  Decazes  cannot  be  pro- 
longed ;  an  end  must  be  put  to  it.  Is  not  Monsieur 
going  to  give  us  any  orders  ?  "  The  same  day  a  rumor 
got  about  that  the  minister  would  be  killed  at  the 
Tuileries,  in  the  hall  of  the  body-guards,  when  he 
should  be  passing  through  it  on  his  way  to  the  King. 
An  ultra,  M.  Mathieu  de  Montmorency,  was  so  con- 
vinced of  this  that  he  had  the  loyalty  to  warn  M. 
Decazes,  through  M.  de  Saint-Cricq,  by  imploring 
him  to  keep  away  from  the  Tuileries  in  the  even- 
ing. The  minister  paid  no  attention  to  these  warn- 
ings. But  his  position  became  constantly  more 
unsettled.  "  This  political  struggle  succeeding  the 
veritable  death-struggle,"  says  the  late  Duke  of 
Broglie  in  his  Souvenirs^  "this  warfare  of  influences 
above  a  corpse,  between  the  morbid  tenderness  of  a 
poor  infirm  King  and  the  ascendancy  of  an  heir  pre- 
sumptive, dangling  the  bloody  shirt  of  his  son  in  his 
hand,  could  not  last  long." 

The  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Angouleme  came  to 
dine  with  Louis  XVIII.  at  the  Tuileries  in  the  even- 
ing of  February  18.  A  solemn  interview  between 
the  King  and  his  family  took  place  after  the  repast. 
The  attendants  having  retired.  Monsieur  and  the 
Duchess  of  Angouleme  threw  themselves  on  their 
knees  before  the  sovereign  and  entreated  him  to 
banish  M.  Decazes.  "We  make  this  request," 
exclaimed  the  daughter  of  Louis  XVI.,  "to  avoid 
another    crime."      Misunderstanding    this    remark, 


THE  BAY  AFTER    THE  MUBDEB  181 

Louis  XVIII.  repRed  that  lie  would  risk  the  pon- 
iards. '  "Ah!  Sire,"  replied  the  Duchess  of  Angou- 
leme,  "  thanks  be  to  God,  my  fears  do  not  extend  to 
Your  Majesty,  but  to  a  person  who  is  dear  to  you." 
—  "I  shall  be  as  brave  for  my  friend  as  for  myself," 
returned  the  King ;  "  and  I  defy  the  crime  for  him 
as  I  do  for  me."  The  Duke  of  Angouleme,  who  was 
very  timid  and  very  respectful  toward  his  uncle, 
kept  silence,  but  his  wife  and  his  father  insisted 
with  great  energy.  Louis  XVIII.  was  overcome. 
"Sire,"  said  the  Count  of  Artois,  "it  is  impossible 
for  me  to  remain  at  the  Tuileries  if  M.  Decazes, 
publicly  accused  by  M.  Clausel  de  Coussergues  of 
complicity  in  the  death  of  my  son,  continues  there 
as  minister.  Your  Majesty  will  permit  me  to  retire 
to  the  Elys^e-Bourbon."  The  King  replied  nearly 
in  these  terms :  "  Eh !  what !  it  is  because  he  is  pur- 
sued by  a  calumny  whose  extravagance  equals  its 
atrocity  that  you  want  me  to  smite  a  man  who  is  so 
devoted  to  me !  Even  the  deputies  who  are  opposed 
to  him  have  repelled  this  calumny  with  horror,  and 
shall  I,  I  only,  appear  to  believe  it,  when,  on  the 
contrary,  it  revolts  every  faculty  of  my  soul?  I 
declare  to  you  thatT  have  never  known  a  heart  more 
candid,  nor  one  endowed  with  a  more  active  and 
genuine  sensibility,  than  Count  Decazes.  I  am  con- 
vinced that  he  would  have  given  his  life  to  save  my 
nephew,  as  he  would  give  it  for  you.  I  respect  the 
extravagance  of  your  grief ;  mine  is  not  less  heart- 
rending, but  does  not  render  me  unjust."     Then  the 


182  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BERET 

Duchess  of  Angouleme  made  a  final  effort  to  con- 
vince her  uncle:  "Sire,"  said  she,  "our  family  has 
been  greatly  united  by  misfortune.  Let  our  union 
at  least  console  us!  Do  not  refuse  this  favor!  "  "I 
ask  it,"  exclaimed  Monsieur,  "I  ask  it  as  a  sacrifice 
to  the  manes  of  my  son."  —  "You  will  have  it," 
returned  the  King ;  "  very  well !  I  will  see  that  you 
are  satisfied." 

Duke  Victor  de  Broglie  says  in  his  Souvenirs: 
"Louis  XVIII.  abdicated  by  dismissing  his  darling 
child,  invitus  invitum,  without  ceasing  to  send  him 
three  letters  a  day."  The  Moniteur  of  February  21, 
announced  that  Count  Decazes  was  no  longer  minis- 
ter, and  that  the  Duke  of  Richelieu  had  formed  a 
new  cabinet.  The  favorite  was  compensated  by  the 
title  of  duke  and  the  embassy  from  France  to  Lon- 
don. The  King,  possibly,  was  more  afflicted  by  the 
absence  of  this  friend  than  by  the  murder  of  his 
nephew.  "Such,"  says  M.  de  Viel-Castel  in  his 
Histoire  de  la  Restauration^  "was  the  termination  of 
the  ministerial  existence  of  a  man  who  had  scarcely 
attained  his  fortieth  year,  and  who  was  to  live  for 
more  than  forty  more,  without  a  return  to  power 
ever  being  granted  him.  For  nearly  five  years  he 
had  exerted  an  influence  over  France  which  very  few 
have  equalled.  An  act  which  does  honor  to  his 
memory  is  the  decree  of  September  5,  by  which,  it 
could  be  affirmed,  he  added  fifteen  years  to  the  life 
of  the  Bourbon  royalty." 


THE  BAY  AFTER    THE  MUBBER  183 

M.  Decazes  had  not  disarmed  the  hatred  of  his 
enemies  by  quitting  the  ministry.  More  than  ten 
days  afterwards,  M.  de  Chateaubriand  wrote  in  the 
Conservateur :  "  What  precautions  were  taken  before 
and  since  the  death  of  the  Duke  of  Berry  ?  Is  it  not 
true  that  the  prefect  of  police  was  deprived  six 
months  ago  of  some  of  his  means  of  surveillance? 
and  that  on  the  very  day  of  the  crime  several  agents 
of  public  safety  were  absent  from  the  place  where  it 
was  committed?  The  barriers  have  not  been  closed, 
passports  have  not  been  demanded,  mail-bags  and 
parcels  have  not  been  searched,  nor  carriages  and 
diligences.  Not  a  proclamation,  nothing  to  console 
or  enlighten  the  people.  It  has  been  said  they 
feared  to  excite  indignation.  But  those  who  still 
struggled  against  public  hatred  have  not  been  able 
to  resist  public  grief.  Our  tears,  our  groans,  our 
sobs,  have  astonished  an  imprudent  minister  whose 
feet  have  slipped  in  blood."  It  is  true  that  in  the 
same  article  the  author  of  the  G-Snie  du  Christianisme 
spoke  of  "  the  good  natural  sentiments  of  M.  Decazes, 
perverted  by  the  little  creatures  who  surround  him," 
adding  that,  the  royalists  being  without  rancor,  the 
King's  favorite  ought  to  recognize  in  his  generous 
enemies  the  friends  whom  he  should  have  chosen  for 
his  own  glory  and  the  welfare  of  France.  Despite 
this  cloaking  over  of  hatred,  the  last  sentence  was 
that  which  struck  the  reader  most.  Chateaubriand, 
to  judge  by  this  passage  from  the  Memoir es  d^  Outre- 


184  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BEBBY 

Tomhe^  seems  to  have  repented  of  it:  "I  said  that 
liis  feet  had  slipped  in  blood,  which  did  not  signify, 
God  forbid!  that  he  was  guilty  of  murder,  but  that 
he  had  fallen  in  the  red  pool  that  formed  under 
Louvel's  knife." 


XXI 

THE   OBSEQUIES   OF   THE  DUKE   OF   BEREY 

EVERYTHING  that  concerned  the  murder  of 
the  Duke  of  Berry  was  calculated  to  impress 
the  imagination.  In  passing  the  Opera-house,  which 
had  been  used  for  the  last  time  on  the  day  of  the 
crime,  and  was  about  to  be  demolished  from  top  to 
bottom  as  an  accursed  spot,  every  one  made  his  own 
reflections  on  the  emptiness  of  human  grandeur  and 
pleasures.  "Let  one  imagine,"  says  Chateaubriand, 
"  an  empty  theatre  after  the  catastrophe  of  a  tragedy, 
the  orchestra  deserted,  the  lights  extinguished,  the 
scenery  moveless,  the  decorations  stationary  and 
smoky,  the  comedians,  the  singers,  and  dancers  all 
vanished  through  traps  and  secret  passages."  Thus 
pass  away,  thus  vanish,  the  vanities  of  the  world. 
Even  the  living  are  phantoms. 

As  soon  as  the  King  had  closed  the  Duke  of 
Berry's  eyes,  the  mortal  remains  of  the  Prince  had 
been  carried  to  the  Louvre  and  deposited  in  the 
apartments  of  the  manager.  During  the  entire  day 
the  priests  of  Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois  prayed 
beside  the  deceased.  Detachments  of  the  body- 
guards were  on  duty  there.     The  doors  of  the  Louvre 

185 


186.  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BEEBY 

were  closed.  As  for  the  assassin,  he  had  been  taken 
from  the  theatre  of  his  crime  to  the  Conciergerie  and 
put  into  a  strait-jacket  to  prevent  him  from  com- 
mitting suicide.  For  twenty-four  hours  he  refused 
all  nourishment,  but  in  the  end  he  resigned  himself 
to  his  fate.  In  the  morning  of  February  15  he  was 
brought  from  the  Conciergerie  to  the  Louvre.  He 
was  taken  into  a  lower  room,  hung  with  black,  and 
in  front  of  a  bed  from  which  the  sheet  was  suddenly 
drawn.  This  sheet  had  hidden  the  body  of  the 
Prince,  still  covered  with  the  bloody  shirt,  the 
wound  gaping  in  the  side.  Some  one  said  to  the 
murderer:  "Do  you  recognize  this  wound  and  the 
poniard  which  made  it?"  —  "Yes,"  he  answered, 
without  the  least  sign  of  emotion.  "  Have  you  any 
accomplices  ?  "  —  "  None. " 

On  returning  to  his  prison,  Louvel  said  to  one  of 
his  keepers :  "  This  morning  they  inflicted  a  rough 
spectacle  on  me ;  they  took  me  to  the  Louvre  into 
the  presence  of  the  Duke  of  Berry's  corpse.  I  was 
greatly  moved,  but  I  did  not  let  them  see  it.  I  did 
not  know  the  Prince,  and  I  had  no  personal  grudge 
against  him ;  but  he  was  one  of  those  who  had  borne 
arms  against  France  and  brought  in  foreigners.  I 
do  not  repent  of  what  I  have  done ;  and  yet  it  is  a 
horrible  thing  for  a  man  to  throw  himself  on  another 
and  poniard  him  from  behind  when  he  is  defenceless. 
I  know  very  well  that  I  have  committed  a  crime ; 
through  ill-understood  and  insane  patriotism,  if  you 
like ;  but  people  would  be  wrong  to  believe  it  was 


THE  OBSEQUIES   OF  THE  DUKE  OF  JBEEBY     187 

cowardly.  If  they  knew  what  force  of  mind  it  re- 
quired at  the  moment  of  performing  it,  they  would 
have  a  very  different  notion.  They  want  to  make 
me  commit  a  second  crime  by  trying  to  force  me  to 
name  my  accomplices,  when  I  have  none." 

The  next  day,  February  16,  the  body  of  the  Duke 
of  Berry  lay  in  state  at  the  Louvre,  and  three  days 
afterwards  the  coffin  was  placed  on  a  catafalque  sur- 
rounded with  burning  tapers,  erected  in  the  south 
gallery  of  the  palace,  which  was  hung  with  funeral 
cbaperies.  Two  altars  were  erected,  one  on  each 
side  of  the  catafalque,  where  Mass  w^as  said  in  the 
mornings  and  the  Office  of  the  Dead  at  night.  All 
classes  of  society,  from  the  princes  and  the  Duke  of 
Orleans,  who  sprinkled  the  holy  water  as  represen- 
tative of  the  King,  down  to  workmen  and  the  hum- 
blest of  the  coimuon  people,  were  admitted  to  pass 
in  front  of  this  coffin.  The  people  experienced  more 
curiosity  than  sadness.  As  Chateaubriand  has  said: 
"  Men  love  whatever  is  spectacular,  especially  death, 
when  it  is  the  -death  of  a  great  personage."  The 
multitude  that  thronged  the  Louvre  complained 
because  the  Prince's  face  had  been  covered  so  soon; 
they  would  have  liked  above  all  things  to  see  the 
wound. 

The  corpse  of  the  Duke  of  Berry  was  transported 
from  the  Louvre  to  the  Abbey  of  Saint  Denis,  Feb- 
ruary 22.  At  five  in  the  morning  the  drums  of  the 
National  Guard  beat  the  call  to  arms,  and  the 
National  Guards  repaired  to  the  posts  assigned  them 


188  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BEBBT 

in  the  Louvre  and  on  the  quays.  The  Duke  of 
Orleans  headed  the  procession,  in  which  four  hun- 
dred poor  men  carried  the  candles.  The  market 
porters  and  the  charcoal  men  of  Paris  walked  in 
the  procession.  The  houses  and  thatched  cabins  in 
the  villages  it  passed  through  had  been  hung  with  the 
best  the  inhabitants  possessed.  On  arriving  at  the 
basilica  of  Saint  Denis,  the  coffin  was  again  sur- 
rounded with  burning  tapers  and  exposed  until 
March  14,  the  day  fixed  on  for  the  funeral. 

Rarely  has  a  funeral  ceremony  presented  a  charac- 
ter at  once  so  lugubrious  and  so  grandiose.  The 
King,  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Angouleme,  the 
Duke  and  Duchess  of  Orleans,  Mademoiselle  d' Or- 
leans, the  Duke  of  Chartres,  and  the  Prince,  of 
Cond^  were  present.  As  all  classes  of  society  were 
to  be  represented,  thirty  places  had  been  reserved  in 
the  church  for  the  charcoal  men,  the  market  porters, 
and  market-women.  The  old  basilica,  hung  with 
black  throughout  its  whole  extent,  resembled  an 
immense  tomb.  Bands  of  light  outlined  themselves 
against  the  funereal  draperies.  The  King  occupied 
a  tribune  almost  opposite  the  catafalque,  with  the 
daughter  of  Louis  XVI.  Mgr.  de  Qu^len,  coadjutor 
to  the  Archbishop  of  Paris,  pronounced  the  funeral 
oration.  He  had  taken  this  verse  of  the  Bible  as  his 
text :  — 

Convertam^  Israel^  festivitates  vestras  in  luctum,  et 
juhila  vestra,  in  planetum. 

Monsieur's  body-guards  lifted  the  coffin  and  carried 


THE  OBSEQUIES   OF  THE  DUKE  OF  BEBRY     189 

it  toward  the  vault.  As  they  passed  in  front  of  the 
tribunes,  the  King  and  the  Duchess  of  Angouleme 
kneeled  down.     Tears  flowed  from  every  eye. 

Listen  to  an  eye-witness,  the  author  of-  the  GSnie 
du  Christianisme :  "  It  was  not  yet  two  months  since 
I  had  seen  the  Prince,  full  of  life,  sitting,  January 
21,  in  front  of  the  catafalque  of  Louis  XVI.  One 
looked  for  him  in  vain  on  the  bench  near  his  brother, 
the  Duke  of  Angouleme,  and  found  him  only  on  the 
same  catafalque,  before  which  his  brother  was  weep- 
ing. One's  eyes  turned  with  emotion  towards  the 
royal  family,  already  so  small,  and  still  diminishing; 
on  the  King,  who  seemed  to  be  meditating  amidst 
the  ruins  of  the  monarchy;  on  Madame,  wrapped  in 
a  long  crape  garment  as  if  it  were  her  usual  attire ; 
on  the  Duke  of  Angouleme,  who  was  chief  mourner, 
and  who,  bowing  to  the  altar  and  the  coffin  by  turns, 
seemed  asking  from  the  first  strength  to  behold  the 
second.  .  .  .  They  chanted,  they  tolled  the  bells, 
they  discharged  cannon ;  there  was  such  grandeur  in 
this  pageant  that  one  might  fancy  he  was  assisting 
at  the  obsequies  of  the  monarchy." 

Placed  in  the  very  centre  of  the  crypt,  the  royal 
vault  of  the  Bourbons  is  its  most  sombre  and  impres- 
sive point;  the  eye  cannot  penetrate  into  this  lugu- 
brious enclosure  save  tlnrough  a  grated  Avindow,  and 
then  only  by  the  aid  of  a  torch.  There  were  the- 
coffins  of  Louis  XVI.  and  Marie  Antoinette,  of 
Madame  Adelaide  and  Madame  Victoire,  daughters; 
of  Louis  XV. :  of  the  two  children  of  the  Duke  of 


190  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BEBBY 

Berry,  who  died  a  few  hours  after  they  were  born ; 
of  the  Prince  of  Conde,  who  died  in  1818.  There 
the  body  of  Louvel's  victim  was  about  to  repose. 

The  king-at-arms  called  for  the  honors  in  this 
order:  "Monsieur  the  Count  of  Mesnard,  perform- 
ing the  functions  of  chief  equerry  to  Mgr.  the  Duke 
of  Berry,  bring  hither  his  sword. 

"Monsieur  the  Count  of  Choiseul,  aide-de-camp  to 
Mgr.  the  Duke  of  Berry,  bring  hither  the  collar  of 
the  Order  of  the  Golden  Fleece. 

"  Monsieur  the  Viscount  of  Montl^gier,  gentleman 
of  honor  to  Mgr.  the  Duke  of  Berry,  bring  hither  the 
star  and  the  ribbon  of  grand  cross  of  the  royal  Order 
of  the  Legion  of  Honor. 

"Monsieur  the  Count  of  Brissac,  gentleman  of 
honor  to  Mgr.  the  Duke  of  Berry,  bring  hither  the 
star  and  the  ribbon  of  grand  cross  of  the  royal  and 
military  Order  of  Saint  Louis. 

"  Monsieur  the  Count  of  Rohan-Chabot,  gentleman 
of  honor  to  Mgr.  the  Duke  of  Berry,  bring  hither  the 
collar  of  the  Order  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

"  Monsieur  the  Count  of  Clermont-Lodeve,  gentle- 
man of  honor  to  Mgr.  the  Duke  of  Berry,  bring 
hither  the  kingly  mantle. 

"  Monsieur  the  Count  of  Nautouillet,  performing 
the  functions  of  first  gentleman  of  the  bedchamber 
to  Mgr.  the  Duke  of  Berry,  bring  hither  the  crown." 

As  fast  as  the  king-at-arms  received  one  of  the 
honors,  he  gave  it  to  the  first  herald,  stationed  on  one 
of  the  steps,  and  he  passed  it  on  to  the  second,  who 


TRE  OBSEQUIES   OF  THE  DUKE  OF  BEBEY     191 

laid  it  on  the  coffin.  The  vault  having  been  opened 
in  presence  of  the  great  officers  of  the  crown,  the 
Duke  of  Angouleme,  as  chief  mourner,  went  down 
into  it.  The  Duke  of  Berry's  coffin  was  afterwards 
lowered.  Then  the  Duke  of  Angouleme  came  up 
alone.  Twenty-one  cannons  announced  this  moment. 
The  Count  of  Nautouillet,  as  performing  the  func- 
tions of  first  gentleman  of  the  bedchamber  to  the 
defunct^  stood  in  the  entrance  of  the  royal  vault  and 
addressed  the  officers  of  the  Prince  in  these  words : 
"  Monseigneur  the  Duke  of  Berry,  your  master  and 
mine,  is  dead.  Officers,  provide  for  yourselves." 
And  finally,  the  king-at-arms  cried  twice:  "Very 
high,  very  poAverful  Prince  Charles  Ferdinand  of 
Artois,  Duke  of  Berry,  son  of  France,  is  dead!" 
adding  after  the  second  time,  "Pray  God  for  the 
repose  of  his  soul." 


XXII 

THE  WIDOW 

A  LEGEND  of  poesy  and  sadness  was  about  to 
form  around  the  young  widow  who,  at  twenty- 
one  years  of  age,  had  been  so  cruelly  stricken.  The 
very  day  of  the  murder  she  cut  off  her  hair,  —  "  her 
hair,"  said  she,  "which  her  husband  loved."  She 
gave  the  tresses  to  Madame  de  Gontaut,  saying: 
"  Take  them ;  one  day  you  shall  give  them  to  my 
daughter ;  she  will  learn  that  her  mother  cut  off  her 
hair  on  the  day  her  father  was  assassinated."  The 
Elys^e  palace,  where  she  had  been  so  happy,  and 
where  she  no  longer  found  her  husband,  horrified  her 
thenceforward.  She  went  to  hide  her  sorrow  in  the 
palace  of  Saint  Cloud.  Her  father-in-law  came  there 
to  visit  her.  She  was  haunted  by  the  idea  that  the 
murder  of  the  Duke  of  Berry  was  an  act  of  ven- 
geance. In  order  to  divert  her  from  this  thought, 
the  Count  of  Artois  related  to  her  that  one  day  the 
Duke  of  Berry,  returning  from  the  chase,  and  slowly 
ascending  the  mountain  in  the  forest  of  Fontaine- 
bleau,  noticed  a  man  who  seemed  fatigued.  The 
Prince  summoned  his  huntsman,  told  him  to  take 
the  man  up  behind  the  carriage  and  ask  him  if 
192 


THE   WIDOW  19S 


he  were  suffering  and  what  was  his  name.  "  He  is 
not  sick,"  answered  the  huntsman,  "he  is  only  tired. 
His  name  is  Louvel,  and  he  works  in  the  King's 
stables  at  Versailles,  where  he  lives  with  his  sister." 
On  reaching  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  Louvel  got 
down  from  the  carriage,  and  no  more  was  thought 
about  him. 

After  the  lapse  of  several  days,  the  Duchess  of 
Berry  left  Saint  Cloud  and  installed  herself,  with 
her  little  daughter,  at  the  Tuileries,  in  the  Pavilion 
of  Marsan,  close  to  her  father-in-law.  Her  new 
apartment  was  not  entirely  strange  to  her.  She  had 
already  slept  there  one  night,  at  the  time  of  her 
entry  into  Paris  on  the  eve  of  her  marriage  at  Notre 
Dame.  How  happy  she  was  then!  What  joyous 
rays  were  dispersed  in  all  directions  by  the  prism  of 
hope!  What  a  fairylike  abode  the  Tuileries  had 
seemed!  What  confidence  in  the  future!  What 
youth,  enthusiasm,  and  gaiety!  And  in  less  than 
four  years  what  a  change!  The  young  widow's 
apartment  was  like  a  mortuary  chapel ;  in  accordance 
with  the  mourning  ceremonial  of  princesses  the  walls 
w^ere  draped  in  black.  Mirrors,  armchairs,  sofas, 
footstools,  all  were  covered  with  crape.  None  but 
yellow  wax  candles  were  lighted.  The  various 
objects  of  luxury  resembled  the  ornaments  of  a  cata- 
falque. The  Princess  had  ordered  a  full-length  por- 
trait of  her  husband  from  the  painter  Gerard,  wishing 
to  have  it  constantly  before  her  eyes. 

The  Parisians  saw  her  on  March  20  for  the  first 


194  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBRY 

time  since  the  fatal  day.  She  was  taking  a  walk 
with  her  daughter  on  the  terrace  beside  the  water. 
The  sight  of  her  caused  a  profound  impression. 
Women,  holding  their  children  in  their  arms,  pointed 
out  to  them  the  widow  of  the  assassinated  Prince 
and  the  little  orphan  dressed  all  in  white.  Crowds 
would  wait  several  hours  together  for  the  moment 
when  the  Princess  would  issue  from  the  Tuileries, 
in  order  to  salute  her  as  she  passed.  It  was  sug- 
gested to  her  to  go  by  the  underground  passages 
which  formed  a  means  of  communication  between 
the  palace  and  the  terrace  bordering  the  water.  "  I 
will  not,"  she  replied;  "they  would  think  I  am 
afraid."  She  was  convinced  that  she  had  a  mission, 
and  that  she  bore  the  saviour  of  France  in  her  womb. 
At  the  court  she  no  longer  appeared  as  a  mournful 
widow,  but  as  a  sort  of  amazon,  ready  to  brave  all 
perils  and  defy  all  storms.  In  this  most  energetic 
of  young  women  there  was  something  virile  which 
the  French  character  takes  delight  in.  Even  the 
adversaries  of  the  monarchy  recognized  in  her  the 
worthy  daughter  of  Henri  IV. 

At  eleven  in  the  evening,  April  28,  1820,  a 
petard,  the  match  of  which  was  already  lighted,  was 
flung  under  one  of  the  wickets  which  separate  the 
Place  Carrousel  from  the  rue  Rivoli,  opposite  the  rue 
Echelle.  The  explosion  produced  by  it  resembled 
that  of  a  heavily  loaded  musket.  When  she  heard 
it,  the  Duchess  of  Berry  said  with  great  coolness: 
"  They  would  like  very  well  to  frighten  me,  but  they 


THE   WIDOW  195 


will  not  succeed."  The  guard  had  taken  up  arms  at 
the  sound  of  the  explosion,  but  the  guilty  person  had 
escaped. 

Hoping  that  an  alarm  might  bring  about  a  miscar- 
riage for  the  Princess,  the  criminal  renewed  his 
attempt  at  the  same  place  in  the  night  of  May  6-7. 
But  this  time  he  was  arrested  just  as  he  was  light- 
ing a  much  larger  fire-cracker.  It  was  a  former 
officer  named  Gravier,  who  had  an  accomplice  named 
Bouton. 

Far  from  allowing  herself  to  be  intimidated  by 
such  menaces,  the  Duchess  of  Berry  felt  an  intimate 
conviction  that  her  delivery  would  be  fortunate,  and 
that  the  child  would  be  a  boy.  She  had  had  a 
dream,  an  account  of  which  she  wrote  with  her  own 
hand  in  the  following  lines,  which  she  sent  to  the 
Count  of  Brissac,  and  which  have  been  preserved  by 
his  family :  — 

"  About  the  fourth  month  of  my  pregnancy,  being 
asleep,  I  saw  Saint  Louis  enter  my  room,  just  as  he 
is  painted,  his  crown  on  his  head,  his  large  royal 
mantle  with  the  lilies,  and  his  venerable  face.  I 
presented  my  little  girl  to  him.  He  opened  his 
mantle  and  presented  me  with  the  ]3rettiest  little 
boy.  He  took  off  his  own  crown  and  placed  it  on 
his  head. 

"For  my  part,  I  kept  pushing  Louise  forward; 
nevertheless,  he  persisted  in  keeping  the  crown  on 
the  boy's  head,  although  he  sheltered  my  daughter 
also   under  his   mantle.     Saint   Louis   then   disap- 


196  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBRY 

peared  with  my  two  children,  and  I  awoke,  con- 
vinced from  that  time  that  I  would  have  a  boy,  and 
since  then  not  a  single  doubt  on  that  head  has 
occurred  to  me  during  the  whole  time  of  my  preg- 

"Maeie  Caroline." 

To  the  young  Princess  whose  Italian  imagination 
was  so  easily  impressed,  this  dream  was  more  than  a 
promise ;  it  was  a  certitude.  She  believed  in  it  as  if 
it  had  been  an  article  of  faith.  As  Monsieur  said  to 
her  that  perhaps  it  would  be  a  daughter  she  would 
bring  forth,  she  replied,  "Saint  Louis  knows  more 
than  you  do  about  that,  father." 

Royalist  society,  so  menaced  and  unsettled,  which 
felt  the  earth  trembling  under  its  feet  and  dreaded 
volcanic  explosions  both  in  France  and  elsewhere, 
had  no  longer  any  hope  save  in  an  infant,  in  a 
cradle.  Already  people  were  comparing  the  child  of 
the  young  Princess  to  Moses.  Victor  Hugo  had 
composed,  directly  after  the  Duke  of  Berry's  death, 
a  poem  entitled  Mo'ise  sur  le  Nil^  which  ended 
thus :  — 

"  Mortals,  whose  pride  the  Eternal  disavows, 
Bow  down :    a  cradle  shall  deliver  Israel, 
A  cradle  is  to  save  the  world." 

All  royalist  France  adored  the  woman  who  was  to 
perpetuate  the  race  of  Bourbons.  A  religious  senti- 
ment blended  with  the  enthusiasm  and  tenderness 
she  excited.     One  might  have  said  that  in  her  was 


THE   WIDOW  197 


incarnated  the  cause  of  the  altar  and  the  throne.  The 
calm  and  confidence  she  manifested  contrasted  with 
the  revolutionary  agitations  and  profound  troubles 
which  showed  themselves  everywhere  else.  Never, 
since  the  Revolution,  had  there  been  such  turmoils 
in  the  streets  of  Paris.  The  discussion  on  the  law 
of  electoral  reform  which  opened  in  the  Chamber  of 
Deputies,  May  15,  summed  up  anew  the  struggle 
between  the  liberals  and  the  reactionists,  and  excited 
the  wrath  and  the  passions  of  the  populace  to  the 
highest  degree. 

General  Lafayette  said  from  the  tribune :  "  Let  no 
one  oblige  the  generations,  by  threatening  them  with 
the  loss  of  the  fruits  of  the  Revolution,  to  seize  anew 
the  sacred  forces  of  the  principles  of  eternal  verity 
and  sovereign  justice."  And  M.  de  Serre,  alluding 
to  October  6, 1789,  replied:  "The  honorable  member 
must  have  experienced  several  times,  he  must  have 
felt,  with  death  in  his  soul  and  a  blush  on  his  fore- 
head, that,  after  having  roused  up  the  masses  of 
the  people,  not  merely  is  it*  not  always  possible  to 
arrest  them  when  they  plunge  into  crime,  but  that 
one  is  often  forced  to  follow  them;  sometimes  to  lead 
them."  Hostile  groups  and  tumultuous  gatherings 
collected  in  the  approaches  to  the  Palais  Bourbon, 
where  the  Chamber  was  sitting.  Officers  of  the 
guard  in  citizen's  dress  mingled  with  the  crowd  and 
shouted,  "Long  live  the  King!  "  in  response  to  the 
cries  of  "Long  live  the  Charter!  "  The  armed  force 
was  obliged  to  intervene.     In  one  of  the  collisions  a 


198  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBBY 

student  named  Lallemand  was  shot  and  killed.  The 
populace  cried  out  that  it  was  intended  to  massacre 
them.     On  both  sides  the  fury  reached  its  height. 

June  4,  M.  Camille  Jordan  asked  for  a  provisional 
suspension  of  the  parliamentary  debates.  M.  de 
Serre,  after  maintaining  that  the  threatened  riot  was 
occasioned  by  nothing  but  the  appeal  to  revolt  made 
by  the  journals  of  the  Left,  reassured  the  Right  by 
detailing  the  measures  adopted  for  putting  an  end  to 
the  disturbances,  and  obtain  a  prolongation  of  the 
debate.  Out  of  doors,  the  cavalry  were  charging  on 
the  crowd.  A  retired  colonel  named  Duvergier  led 
those  manifestly  disaffected  as  far  as  the  Bastille, 
whence  the  stream  of  rioters,  swelled  by  the  popula- 
tion of  the  faubourgs,  returned  toward  the  Tuileries 
by  the  rue  Saint- Antoine  and  the  quays.  Cuirassiers 
and  gendarmes  were  sent  to  meet  them  and  succeeded 
in  dispersing  them.  Louis  XVIII.  could  see  from 
his  palace  windows  the  manoeuvres  of  the  troops,  the 
cavalry  charges,  the  movements  of  the  groups  of 
curious  spectators  or  rioters,  flying  before  the  gal- 
loping horses  and  the  sabres  of  the  soldiers.  The 
cries  of  fright  or  fury  from  the  crowd  reached  the 
ears  of  the  Duchess  of  Berry  and  the  Duchess  of 
Angoul^me..  The  daughter  of  Louis  XVI.  recalled 
the  dismal  scenes  of  1792,  —  the  20th  of  June,  the 
10th  of  August. 

The  troubles  continued  the  following  day.  Thou- 
sands of  students,  wearing  white  cravats,  armed  with 
heavy  canes,  and  marching  two  and  two,  assembled  on 


THE   WIBOW  199 


the  quai  d'Orsay,  before  the  Chamber  of  Deputies. 
The  gendarmes  having  repulsed  them,  they  reassem- 
bled on  Place  Louis  XV.,  where  their  ranks  were 
swelled  by  a  multitude  of  agitators  and  half-pay 
officers.  From  the  terraces  of  the  Tuileries,  the 
windows  of  the  Ministry  of  Marine  and  other  hotels 
on  Place  Louis  XV.,  numerous  spectators  were 
watching  these  popular  scenes,  which  evoked  the 
spectre  of  the  great  Revolution,  with  a  curiosity 
mingled  with  anxiety.  The  mounted  gendarmes 
and  the  dragoons  of  the  guard  charged.  Voices  were 
heard  crying,  "  To  the  faubourgs !  "  Some  groups 
bearing  a  red  flag  attempted  a  diversion  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Palais  Royal.  The  crowd  rushed  into 
the  rue  Saint-Antoine  to  return  upon  the  H6tel  de 
Ville.  But  a  regiment  of  cuirassiers,  coming  from 
the  Arsenal,  pursued  them.  A  pelting  rain  pre- 
vented a  collision,  and  the  riotei-s  withdrew. 

The  situation  was  more  menacing  still  the  next 
day,  June  6.  It  was  the  day  when  young  Lallemand 
was  buried,  and  the  Chamber  of  Peers  was  about  to 
pronounce  its  sentence  against  Louvel.  The  rioters 
were  going  in  crowds  through  the  boulevards  toward 
the  rue  Saint-Antoine.  Meantime,  Louvel  was  read- 
ing before  his  judges  this  declaration,  in  which  may 
be  felt  the  ferocious  hatred  of  the  enemies  of  the 
Restoration,  a  regime  which  had  at  the  same  time 
enthusiastic  admirers  and  fanatical  detractors. 

"  To-day  I  have  to  blush  for  a  crime  which  I  alone 
committed.    I  have  the  consolation  of  believing,  in 


200  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBBY 

dying,  that  I  have  dishonored  neither  my  nation  nor 
my  family.  Nothing  need  be  seen  in  me  but  a 
Frenchman  who  vowed  to  sacrifice  himself  in  order  to 
destroy,  in  pursuit  of  his  system,  a  part  of  the  men 
who  have  taken  up  arms  against  his  country.  I  am 
accused  of  having  taken  the  life  of  a  prince ;  I  alone 
am  guilty;  but  among  the  men  who  compose  the 
government  there  are  many  as  guilty  as  I  am.  They 
have,  according  to  me,  recognized  crimes  as  virtues ; 
the  worst  governments  France  has  ever  had  have 
always  punished  the  men  who  have  betrayed  it,  or 
who  have  borne  arms  against  the  nation. 

"  In  my  view,  I  cannot  avoid  believing  that  if  the 
battle  of  Waterloo  has  been  so  fatal  to  France,  it  is 
because  there  were  Frenchmen  at  Ghent  who  dis- 
seminated treason  in  the  army  and  gave  assistance 
to  the  enemy. 

"  According  to  me  and  to  my  sj'stem,  the  death  of 
Louis  XVI.  was  necessary  because  the  nation  had 
consented  to  it.  If  it  had  been  a  handful  of  intrigu- 
ers who  had  gone  to  the  Tuileries  and  taken  his  life 
on  the  moment,  it  would  have  been  different ;  but  as 
Louis  XVI.  and  his  family  were  under  arrest  for  a 
long  time,  it  is  inconceivable  that  it  should  not  have 
been  by  the  consent  of  the  nation.  .  .  .  To-day  the 
Bourbons  claim  to  be  the  masters;  but,  according  to 
me,  they  are  criminals,  and  the  nation  would  be  dis- 
honored if  it  allowed  itself  to  be  governed  by  them." 
The  Chamber  of  Peers  listened  with  stupor  to  this 
coldly  disdainful  language,  and  unanimously  con- 
demned Louvel  to  death. 


THE   WIDOW  201 


More  favorable  to  the  liberals  than  to  the  partisans 
of  the  Ministry,  the  Duchess  Victor  de  Broglie, 
daughter  of  Madame  de  Stael,  has  thus  described  the 
sombre  day  of  June  6,  1820 :  "  What  a  sight  Paris 
presented  at  that  time !  At  the  Chamber  of  Peers  a 
criminal  trial  in  progress,  a  man  who  was  a  sort  of 
prodigy  of  crime  and  fatality,  condemned  that  day  to 
be  executed  on  the  morrow.  A  wretched  victim 
stricken  down  by  the  royal  guard.  The  entire  bour- 
geois class  in  revolt,  crying  murder,  and  in  dread  for 
its  children.  All  the  young  men  in  revolt.  A 
furious  Chamber;  a  slavish  and  hypocritical  Minis- 
try. Inside  the  Tuileries  that  unhappy  Duchess  of 
Berry,  beside  herself,  pursued  by  the  thought  that 
her  husband's  last  will  would  not  be  respected; 
Madame  listening  to  the  cries  of  the  populace  that 
had  caused  her  family  to  perish ;  indignation  and  pity 
swaying  from  one  side  to  the  other,  from  the  victors 
to  the  vanquished,  without  anywhere  finding  a  place 
to  rest." 

The  next  day,  June  7,  the  agitation  in  Paris  con- 
tinued. At  six  in  the  evening,  Louvel  ascended  the 
scaffold.  An  immense  crowd  covered  the  Place  de 
Greve  and  its  approaches.  A  large  force  of  military 
had  been  put  under  arms.  They  say  that  up  to  the 
last  moment  the  condemned  man  hoped  to  be  rescued 
by  the  rioters.  He  looked  and  listened  as  if  he  were 
expecting  a  signal.  When  he  saw  that  none  was 
coming,  he  calmly  mounted  the  steps  of  the  guillo- 
tine; then   his   head  fell  beneath   the   knife.     The 


202  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BEE  BY 

government  finally  quelled  the  disturbance  wliich 
had  been  grumbling  for  several  days.  The  electo- 
ral law  was  passed,  June  12,  and  the  Chambers 
adjourned. 

Abroad,  the  revolutionary  spirit  was  making 
gigantic  strides.  On  the  other  side  of  the  Pyrenees 
and  the  other  side  of  the  Alps  all  was  aflame.  The 
Bourbons  of  Spain  and  of  Naples  were  threatened 
still  more  than  the  Bourbons  of  France.  Pronuncia- 
mientos  and  popular  risings  brought  the  dynasties 
within  a  hair's-breadth  of  their  ruin.  Ferdinand 
VII.,  King  of  Spain,  was  obliged  to  take  oath  to  the 
constitution  of  1812,  and  he  opened  the  revolution- 
ary Cortes,  July  9.  People  said  it  was  his  1789,  the 
prelude  to  a  1793.  Almost  at  the  same  moment 
General  P^pe  made  his  triumphal  entry  into  Naples 
at  the  head  of  a  revolted  regiment.  King  Ferdinand 
I.,  grandfather  of  the  Duchess  of  Berry,  was  obliged 
to  resign  his  royal  powers  to  her  father,  the  heir- 
apparent,  who  proclaimed  the  Spanish  Constitution 
of  1812,  that  ultra-liberal  constitution  of  which,  not- 
withstanding, not  a  single  copy  was  to  be  found  in 
the  Kingdom  of  the  Two  Sicilies. 

The  rebound  of  the  agitations  in  Spain  and  Italy 
made  itself  felt  in  France  in  the  barracks  and  secret 
societies.  In  August  some  Bonapartist  officers,  act- 
ing in  concert  with  the  democrats  and  the  direct- 
ing revolutionary  committee,  in  which  sat  General 
Lafayette,  organized  a  grand  conspiracy.  They  had 
an    understanding    with    many    regiments,    several 


THE   WIDOW  203 


deputies,  and  numerous  ofiQcers  of  all  grades.  Their 
aim  was  to  seize  the  fort  of  Vincennes,  the  H6tel  de 
Ville,  and  the  Tuileries,  to  arrest  the  royal  family, 
raise  the  tricolored  flag,  establish  a  provisional  gov- 
ernment, and  then  make  an  appeal  to  the  people,  who 
would  decide  either  for  Napoleon  II.  or  the  Repub- 
lic." The  conspirators  had  arranged  to  strike  the  blow 
during  the  night  of  August  19-20,  1820.  But  they 
were  betrayed  by  some  of  their  accomplices,  and  the 
military  authorities,  warned  in  due  time,  arrested 
the  officers  who  were  most  compromised,  and  notably 
Colonel  Fabvier,  formerly  aide-de-camp  to  Marshal 
Marmont.  The  government  esteemed  itself  most 
happy  to  have  escaped  so  grave  a  peril ;  it  felt  itself 
too  weak  to  dare  attempt  to  prosecute  the  deputies 
secretly  affiliated  to  the  conspiracy. 

The  royalists  told  themselves  that  their  saviour 
against  such  ambushes  and  dangers  would  be  the 
child  the  Duchess  of  Berry  bore  in  her  womb.  He 
was  compared  already,  not  merely  to  Moses,  but  to 
the  Messias  himself.  Monarchical  bombast  treated 
the  mother  of  such  an  impatiently  awaited  son  as  a 
supernatural  being,  a  second  Blessed  Virgin.  En- 
couraged by  such  protestations  of  devotion,  the 
young  Princess  fancied  that  her  little  foot  would 
have  small  difficulty  in  stamping  out  the  mon- 
sters. She  believed  in  the  prediction  addressed 
to  her  by  Victor  Hugo,  that  poet  who  was  then  a 
courtier :  — 


204  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEERY 

"  Yet,  of  the  royal  stem,  O  frail  support, 
If  God  through  thy  aid  show  His  majesty, 
Thou  mayst  save  France,  and  once  again  make  sport 
O'  the  hellish  hydra's  foul  expectancy. 
Thus,  when  the  serpent,  author  of  all  woe, 
Would  thrust  into  the  black  abyss  below 
Man,  whom  his  sin  had  ruined. 
The  Lord  abased  his  sullen  arrogance; 
A  woman  came,  weak  and  without  defence, 
Who  bruised  his  cursed  head." 


XXIII 

THE   BIETH   OF   THE  DUKE   OF   BORDEAUX 

ALL  royalist  France  was  in  commotion.  The 
Duchess  of  Berry  was  nearing  her  time.  The 
municipal  councils  of  cities  and  the  owners  of  castles 
had  Masses  said  and  novenas  made  to  implore  Heaven 
for  her  safe  delivery.  It  had  been  decided  that  if 
she  brought  a  prince  into  the  world,  he  was  to  be 
styled  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux.  Three  market-women 
of  that  city,  Mesdames  Daste,  Duranton,  and  Aniche, 
were  sent  in  deputation  to  the  Tuileries  to  thank  the 
King  for  the  honor  done  to  their  city,  and  to  offer 
a  cradle  intended  for  the  expected  child.  "  These 
dames,"  says  Chateaubriand,  "selected  me  to  pre- 
sent them  and  their  cradle  to  Madame  the  Duchess  of 
Berry.  I  made  haste  to  ask  the  gentleman-in- wait- 
ing for  a  formal  audience.  But  lo,  M.  de  Seze 
thought  that  such  an  honor  rightly  belonged  to  him ; 
it  was  said  that  I  would  never  succeed  at  court. 
I  was  not  yet  reconciled  with  the  Ministry,  and  I  did 
not  seem  worthy  to  act  as  introducer  of  my  humble 
ambassadresses."  When  the  cradle  was  presented, 
the  three  Bordelais  entreated  the  Princess  to  lie  in 
at  Bordeaux,  where  she  would  be  safer  than  in  Paris. 

205 


206  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BEBRY 

Was  it  not  just,  moreover,  that  the  young  duke 
should  be  born  in  the  town  whose  name  he  was  to 
bear?  "This  is  to  lay  our  prince  in,"  said  the 
market-women,  pointing  to  the  cradle.  "  We  women 
will  wash  his  swaddling-clothes,  and  our  men  will 
take  good  care  that  the  Jacobins  do  not  prevent  him 
from  sleeping." 

Some  one  sent  from  B^arn  the  chanson  of  Jeanne 
d'Albret,  of  which  the  following  is  a  translation :  — 

♦*  Our  Lady  of  the  end  of  the  bridge, 
Assist  me  now. 
Pray  God  who  is  in  heaven, 
That  He  will  graciously  deliver  me  soon. 
That  He  will  grant  me  a  son. 
All  even  to  the  tops  of  the  mountains  implore  it. 
Our  Lady  of  the  end  of  the  bridge. 
Assist  me  now." 

To  this  was  added  a  bottle  of  JurauQon  wine  and  a 
clove  of  garlic,  in  memory  of  that  which  had  been 
rubbed  on  the  lips  of  Henri  IV.  as  he  was  born. 

On  September  28th,  the  dowager  Duchess  of 
Orleans,  the  widow  of  Philippe-Egalite,  went  over  to 
the  chapel  of  the  Missionnaires  and  piously  assisted 
at  the  Mass  offered  for  the  happy  deliverance  of  the 
Duchess  of  Berry. 

The  young  Princess  was  calmly  and  courageously 
awaiting  the  solemn  moment.  Foreseeing  the  possi- 
bility that  nature  might  be  rebellious,  she  had  said 
to'  the  accoucheur,  M.  Deneux  :  "  I  know  that  in  case 
of    a  ''  dangerous   delivery   it   is   usual   to   save   the 


THE  BIBTU  OF  THE  DUKE  OF  BOBBEAUX     207 

mother  at  the  risk  of  losing  the  child.  I  do  not 
know  whether  Heaven  has  willed  that  my  delivery 
shall  be  dangerous.  However  it  may  be,  remember 
that  the  child  I  am  bearing  belongs  to  France ;  in 
case  of  danger,  do  not  hesitate  to  save  him,  even  at 
the  expense  of  my  life."  She  proposed  to  be  brought 
to  bed  in  her  salon.  Over  her  head  was  to  be  the 
full-length  portrait  of  the  Duke  of  Berry,  painted  by 
Gerard,  and  before  her  eyes  a  picture  by  Kinson 
which  represented  her  weeping,  her  daughter  at  her 
side,  before  the  bust  of  her  husband. 

Party  spirit  had  at  this  time  reached  such  a  pitch 
of  violence  that  many  of  the  enemies  of  the  Restora- 
tion obstinately  refused  to  believe  that  the  Princess 
was  pregnant  at  all,  and  pretended  that  there  was  to 
be  a  supposititious  child.  Every  precaution  was 
taken  to  demonstrate  the  absurdity  of  such  a  cal- 
umny. As  the  time  drew  near,  Louis  XVIII.  ap- 
pointed the  Marshal  Duke  of  Coigny  and  Marshal 
Suchet,  Duke  of  Albuf^ra,  as  witnesses,  enjoining  both 
of  them  to  establish  themselves  at  the  Tuileries 
immediately,  as  well  as  the  accoucheur  and  the  doc- 
tors who  formed  part  of  the  household  of  the  Prin- 
cess.    Marshal  Marmont  says  in  his  Memoirs  :  — 

"  The  usual  precautions  had  been  taken  to  certify 
the  birth  of  the  child.  They  had  been  redoubled,  so 
to  say,  by  the  choice  of  the  individuals  called  to  be 
witnesses.  If  only  certain  old  nobles  of  the  court, 
attached  to  the  Bourbons,  had  been  selected,  their 
testimony  might  have  been  suspected;   but  one   of 


208  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBBY 

them  was  Marshal  Suchet,  Duke  of  Albuf  ^ra,  who  was 
above  suspicion  by  reason  of  his  origin  and  his  alli- 
ance with  the  Bonapartes.  Installed  beforehand  at 
the  Tuileries,  he  was  to  be  stationed  in  the  chamber 
of  Madame  the  Duchess  of  Berry  at  the  moment 
when  the  child  was  to  be  born." 

September  28th,  1820,  at  nine  in  the  evening,  the 
King  had  said  when  giving  the  countersign,  "I  do 
not  believe  that  Madame  the  Duchess  of  Berry  will  be 
delivered  for  five  or  six  days  yet."  •  Let  us  listen  to 
Madame  de  Gontaut,  governess  of  the  children  of 
France  :  "  I  spent  nearly  all  my  days  with  the  Duch- 
ess of  Berry;  but  one  evening  (September  28th), 
having  had  company  in  our  little  salon,  I  had  not  seen 
her,  and  as  she  was  suffering  somewhat,  she  waited 
until  the  visitors  had  gone  before  coming  to  me. 
She  owned  to  me  then  that  she  had  felt  slight-  pains 
during  the  evening.  I  informed  her  of  all  the  precau- 
tions that  had  been  taken;  I  wanted  to  stay  with  her, 
but  she  said,  '  Rest  easy ;  at  the  least  indication  you 
shall  be  notified.'  She  left  me,  and  before  going  to 
bed  I  went  softly  to  her  chamber  door ;  all  was  quiet 
and  reposing.  I  was  doing  the  same  when,  in  the 
middle  of  the  night,  Madame  de  Vathaire,  first  cham- 
bermaid to  Madame,  who  occupied  a  chamber  close 
to  hers  with  Madame  Bourgeois,  another  of  her 
Avomen,  and  kept  the  door  of  communication  habitu- 
ally open,  arrived  at  mine.  Finding  it  locked,  she 
knocked  repeatedly,  and  called  me  in  a  loud  voice, 
saying,  '  Come  quick,  quick  !     Madame  is  delivered. 


THE  BIBTH  OF  THE  DUKE  OF  BOBBEAUX     209 

Send  the  guard.  Hiiny  up !  I  gave  the  order  to 
go  to  Madame  Lemoine,  whom  I  told  last  evening 
to  be  ready  in  case  she  was  called:  she  ran  there 
at  once.' 

"Already  prepared  to  rise  at  the  least  signal,  I 
merely  took  time  enough  to  slip  on  a  dressing-gown. 
I  arrived  near  Madame.  As  soon  as  she  saw  me, 
she  held  out  her  arms  to  me  and  exclaimed,  '  It  is 
Henri ! '  We  embraced  each  other  with  one  of  those 
joyful  cries  that  come  but  once  in  a  lifetime. 

"  The  infant  was  crying,  and  I  examined  it ;  it 
seemed  to  me  strong  and  well.  The  nurse  said  to 
me,  '  The  child  is  doing  well ;  he  can  stay  just  so  for 
some  instants.'  Madame  then  exclaimed,  'Quick! 
quick !  the  witnesses ! '  My  valet  de  chambre  had 
followed  me  in  this  moment  of  confusion.  I  said, 
'  Here  is  one.'  — '  He  will  not  answer,'  replied 
Madame,  'as  he  is  in  your  pay.'  But  she  gave 
orders  to  light  up  everything  and  everywhere. 

"Madame  de  Vathaire  had  already  gone  to  look 
for  the  accoucheur,  the  Faculty,  and  to  wake  up  every- 
body. I  went  across  a  passage  which  led  to  the  ves- 
tibule of  the  court.  Two  sentries  were  at  the  door, 
one  belonging  to  the  royal  guard  and  the  other  to  the 
National  Guard ;  I  called  them  and  bade  them  follow 
me ;  they  hesitated,  and  talked  of  their  instructions. 
'  Come,'  1  said  to  them,  '  and  save  him  who  will  one 
day  be  your  king.'  They  did  not  comprehend  me, 
but  at  this  name  of  king,  and  encouraged  by  a  ser- 
geant, they  followed  me ;  the  sergeant  himself  joined 


210  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBBY 

US  (his  name  was  Dauphinot).  To  make  sure  of  them, 
I  held  them  securely  by  the  arms. 

"At  this  moment  the  Duchess  of  Reggio,  who  had 
been  notified,  was  coming  down-stairs.  She  saw  me 
in  a  dressing-gown  flying  open,  a  short  petticoat,  and 
black  stockings,  dragging  along  these  two  men, 
astounded  but  submissive.  She  assured  me,  laughing, 
that  she  should  never  forget  it  as  long  as  she  lived. 
I  made  them  enter  the  narrow  little  corridor,  which 
we  got  through  with  difficulty.  On  arriving  near 
Madame,  they  were  the  first  witnesses;  then  I  put 
them  in  a  corner  of  the  room  and  kept  my  eye  on 
them." 

The  infant  was  not  yet  separated  from  its  mother. 
When  the  accoucheur  came  in,  the  Princess  said  to 
him,  "  Monsieur  Deneux,  we  have  a  prince ;  I  am 
well ;  don't  concern  yourself  about  me,  but  take  care 
of  my  child;  is  there  no  danger  in  leaving  him  in 
that  condition?"  The  accoucheur  replied,  "The 
child  is  very  strong,  he  breathes  freely,  and  he  is  so 
well  that  he  may  remain  just  so  until  the  delivery, 
even  though  that  should  not  happen  for  an  hour."  — 
"  In  that  case,"  said  the  courageous  mother,  "  let  him 
be.  I  want  to  have  him  seen  still  attached  to  me.  I 
want  people  to  see  that  he  is  really  mine." 

It  was  then  thirty-five  minutes  past  two  in  the 
morning.  Three  National  Guards,  MM.  Laine,  a 
grocer,  Paign^,  a  druggist,  and  Dauphinot,  an  em- 
ploy^, all  belonging  to  the  Ninth  Legion,  and  M. 
d'Hardivilliers,  captain  of  the  grenadiers  of  the  royal 


THE  BIBTU  OF  THE  DUKE  OF  BOBBEAUX     211 

guard,  were  in  the  chamber.  "  Gentlemen,"  said  the 
Princess  to  them,  "you  are  witnesses  that  it  is  a 
prince.  See,  he  is  not  yet  separated  from  his 
mother."  She  repeated  the  same  phrase  to  the  Mar- 
shal Duke  of  Albufdra,  who  came  a  few  minutes 
later,  and  it  was  not  until  he  had  seen  with  his  own 
eyes  what  the  Princess  said,  that  the  umbilical  cord 
was  cut. 

Concerning  this.  Marshal  Marmont  has  said  in  his 
Memoirs :  "  The  Duchess  of  Berry  objected  to  have 
the  cord  cut  before  the  arrival  of  the  official  witnesses, 
an  act  of  courage  and  presence  of  mind  which  merits 
universal  admiration.  Some  silly  Parisian  women 
have  criticised  this  conduct  on  the  ground  of  modesty. 
Miserable  objection!  Before  the  interests  of  a  dy- 
nasty and  the  repose  of  a  nation  such  considerations 
should  disappear ;  and  the  Duchess  of  Berry  rose  to 
the  level  of  circumstances.  She  was  sublime.  On 
the  whole,  she  has  great  courage,  great  moral  force, 
and  a  great  instinct  for  government.  If  fortune  had 
placed  her  in  more  favorable  circumstances,  it  is 
probable  that  she  would  have  succeeded  in  her  enter- 
prises and  made  herself  a  great  name." 

Meanwhile  the  King  and  the  royal  family  had 
arrived.  "  God  be  thanked !  "  exclaimed  Louis 
XVIII.,  "  you  have  a  son."  And  he  handed  a  mag- 
nificent spray  of  diamonds  to  the  mother,  saying, 
•'  This  is  for  you,  and  that  is  for  me."  As  he  spoke, 
he  took  the  newborn  child  in  his  arms ;  then,  calling 
for  the  clove  of   garlic  and  the  bottle  of  Juran§on 


212  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BERBY 

wine,  he  rubbedthe  infant's  lips  with  the  one  and 
moistened  its  mouth  with  a  few  drops  of  the  other. 
"  Sire,"  said  the  Princess,  "  I  wish  I  knew  the  air  of 
Jeanne  d'Albret's  chanson,  so  that  everything  might 
be  just  as  it  was  at  the  birth  of  Henri  IV." 

Learning  that  the  marshals,  generals,  etc.,  were 
asking  to  be  admitted  to  the  presence  of  the  newly 
born,  the  Viscountess  de  Gontaut  carried  him  into 
the  grand  salon.  "The  Duke  of  Orleans  came  at 
last,"  says  she  in  her  Memoirs ;  "  he  looked  atten- 
tively at  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux,  and  then  said  to  the 
Duke  of  Albufera,  '  Monsieur  the  Marshal,  I  summon 
you  to  declare  what  you  have  seen.  Is  this  child 
really  the  son  of  the  Duchess  of  Berry  ? '  I  confess 
I  had  a  moment  of  great  impatience.  '  Speak,  Mon- 
sieur the  Marshal,'  I  cried;  'tell  all  that  you  have 
seen  ! '  The  Marshal  energetically  testified  to  the 
legitimacy  of  the  child,  and  added,  '  I  swear  it  on  my 
honor*!  I  am  surer  that  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux,  here 
present,  is  the  child  of  Madame  the  Duchess  of 
Berry  than  I  am  that  my  own  son  is  the  child  of  his 
mother.'  Silence  ensued.  After  such  incontestable 
proof,  the  Duke  of  Orleans  departed  to  offer  his  feli- 
citations to  Madame  the  Duchess  of  Berry." 

At  half-past  three  in  the  morning,  Mgr.  de  Bom- 
belles,  Bishop  of  Amiens,  administered  private  bap- 
tism to  the  little  Prince,  and  M.  Dambray,  Chancellor 
of  France,  fulfilling  the  functions  of  registrar  to  the 
royal  household,  wrote  the  certificate  of  birth. 

Outside  of  the  palace  the  house  of  the  body-guards 


THE  BIRTH  OF  THE  DUKE  OF  BOBDEAUX     213 

and  the  barracks  of  the  royal  guard  were  suddenly 
illumined  as  if  by  magic. 

Five  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  cannon  of  the 
Invalides  began  to  thunder.  Several  persons  had 
advised  that  these  bronze  messengers  should  wait 
for  daybreak  before  speaking,  but  the  Duke  of  Riche- 
lieu responded,  — 

"  For  such  a  piece  of  news  it  is  daybreak  at  any 
hour." 

The  Parisian  population,  suddenly  awakened,  anx- 
iously count  the  discharges.  Twelve  were  to  be  fired 
if  it  were  a  princess,  twenty-four  if  it  were  a  prince. 
At  the  thirteenth  there  is  an  explosion  of  joy.  The 
royalists  rise  and  hasten  in  crowds  underneath  the 
windows  of  the  Pavilion  of  Marsan,  where  the  Duch- 
ess has  just  been  delivered,  on  the  first  story,  looking 
down  the  rue  Rivoli. 

Six  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  Duchess  of  Berry 
orders  that  all  the  military  who  present  themselves 
shall  be  admitted.  Officers,  subalterns,  and  soldiers, 
more  than  five  hundred,  file  in.  "  I  bless  thee,"  says 
an  old  Vendean,  looking  at  the  little  Prince,  "  and  I 
enlist  for  six  years  longer."  A  soldier  with  three 
chevrons  exclaims,  "  Ah,  my  Prince,  why  am  I  so 
old?  I  cannot  serve  under  your  orders."  —  "Keep 
up  your  heart,  my  hero,"  says  the  Princess ;  "  he  will 
begin  early."  Another  soldier  cries,  "He  is  surely 
the  child  of  the  army,  that  fellow.  He  is  born  in  the 
midst  of  cannonading  and  grenadiers'  caps,  and  my 
captain  is  his  first  nurse." 


214  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BERRY 

The  crowd  constantly  grows  larger  in  the  rue 
Rivoli,,  under  the  windows  of  the  Princess's  apart- 
ment. Enthusiastic  acclamations  resound.  People 
who  are  unknown  to  each  other  carry  on  long  con- 
versations. Everybody  is  inquiring  for  news.  They 
hope  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  little  Prince.  At  the 
same  time  the  churches  are  thronged  by  the  faithful 
who  come  to  return  thanks  to  God. 

Ten  o'clock.  The  marshals,  generals,  and  great 
officials  are  admitted  to  the  King's  cabinet.  The 
Duke  of  La  Chatre  presents  a  young  poet,  M. 
Mennechet,  who  reads  the  following  impromptu 
verses  set  to  the  air  of  the  Premier  Pas,  on  which 
the  King  and  the  Duchess  of  Angouleme  congratu- 
late him  :  — 

"  France,  'tis  a  Bourbon  has  been  born  to  thee  1 
'Tis  of  thy  kings  august  the  late-born  son  I 
And  from  his  cradle  this  weak  child  shall  be 
The  traitor's  terror  and  the  brave  man's  glee. 
'Tis  a  Bourbon. 

"  It  is  a  Bourbon  whom  thy  tears  besought : 

Heaven  heard  and  the  auspicious  gift  sent  down ; 
The  glory  of  thy  arms  sustain  shall  he, 
And  dry  the  tears  of  helpless  misery. 
'Tis  a  Bourbon. 

"  It  is  a  Bourbon,  happy  mother ;  leave 

Thy  sadness,  and  thy  widow's  weeds  lay  down. 
It  is  a  husband  rises  from  the  tomb, 
This  noble  child  restores  him  to  his  home. 
'Tis  a  Bourbon." 


THE  BIRTH  OF  THE  DUKE  OF  BOBBEAUX      215 

Noon.  A  Mass  of  thanksgiving  and  the  Te  Deum 
in  the  chapel  of  Tuileries.  Louis  XVIII.  and  all  the 
royal  family  are  present  at  it. 

One  o'clock.  On  returning  from  Mass,  the  King 
stops  on  the  balcony  of  the  Pavilion  of  the  Horloge. 
Addressing  the  crowd  that  fills  the  garden,  he  says 
in  a  strong  voice:  "My  friends,  your  joy  increases 
mine  a  hundredfold.  A  child  is  born  to  all  of  us. 
This  child  will  one  day  become  your  father ;  he  will 
love  you  as  I  do,  and  as  you  love  all  who  belong 
to  me." 

Two  o'clock.  Monsieur  receives  the  officers  of 
the  Duke  of  Berry's  household.  With  the  King's 
permission,  he  had  said  to  them  on  the  day  of  the 
murder,  "If  my  daughter-in-law  brings  forth  a  son, 
you  will  all  resume  towards  him  the  same  functions 
you  fulfilled  toward  his  father."  The  hour  has  come 
for  the  realization  of  this  promise.  "My  friends," 
says  Monsieur,  "I  announce  to  you  with  pleasure 
that  you  are  in  the  service  of  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux ; 
I  am  very  sure  that  you  will  be  as  tenderly  attached 
to  the  son  as  you  were  to  the  father." 

The  household  of  the  little  Prince  was  constituted 
thus :  governess,  the  Viscountess  of  Gontaut ;  under- 
go verness,  the  Marchioness  of  Foresta;  first  gentle- 
man of  the  chamber,  the  Count  of  Nantouillet ;  gen- 
tlemen of  honor  and  aides-de-camp,  the  Prince  of  L^on, 
the  Count  of  Brissac,  the  Viscount  of  Montl^gier ; 
aides-de-camp,  the  Count  of  Mesnard,  the  Count  of 
Clermont-Loddve,    the    Count    of    Choiseul,    Count 


216  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BEBBY 

Eugene    d'Astorg,  the  Prince  of   Banff remont,   the 
Marquis  of  Coligny,  the  Count  of  Mailly. 

AU  Paris  spends  the  entire  day  in  jollity.  They 
sing,  they  dance  farandoles.  They  hum  a  refrain 
like  this  in  the  streets  :  — 

"It  is  a  boy!     I  in  my  happiness 

Counted  twice  twelve  discharges  of  the  guns. 
All  Paris  is  in  motion ;    each  one  runs, 
Yet  each  the  other  stops,  to  say  with  joy, 
It  is  a  boy! 

"It  is  a  boy!     And  if  he  wear  the  crown, 
We'll  see  him  worthy  of  so  great  a  name. 
Noble  and  generous  his  soul  will  be. 
And  to  no  man  will  he  desire  annoy. 
It  is  a  boy !  " 

The  rue  Rivoli,  opposite  the  Pavilion  of  Marsan,  is 
constantly  thronged  by  an  immense  and  enthusiastic 
crowd.  It  is  with  difficulty  that  the  Duchess  of 
Berry  is  prevented  from  rising  in  order  to  show  her- 
self standing  with  her  infant  in  her  arms.  They 
want  to  give  her  a  composing  draught  to  quiet  her. 
"  Let  it  alone,"  says  she,  and,  listening  to  the  clamor 
of  the  populace :  "  that  is  the  real  sedative." 

Evening  has  come.  The  promenaders  are  innumer- 
able. The  weather  is  magnificent.  ,  The  stars  rival 
the  illuminations.  The  garrison  of  Paris,  having 
obtained  the  honor  of  offering  the  young  mother  a 
luminous  bouquet,  the  troops  assemble  beneath  her 
windows.     The  bouquet  is  composed  of  a  great  many 


TUE  BIRTH  OF  THE  DUKE  OF  BORDEAUX     217 

rockets  which  explode  at  a  given  signal.  The  noise 
is  prodigious  and  the  effect  splendid.  The  Princess 
is  ravished  with  delight.  She  has  her  windows 
opened  and  her  bed  drawn  close  up  to  them  in  order 
to  see  and  be  seen.  She  applauds  with  childish 
joy.  The  soldiers  who  can  perceive  her  admire  her 
animation  and  her  courage,  and  they  are  heard 
exclaiming,  "  She  is  worthy  to  be  the  mother  of  a 
king." 

The  theatres  are  livelier  than  ever.  At  the  Opera, 
Atlialie  is  given  with  the  choruses,  and  in  the  work 
of  Racine  the  public  find  allusions  to  the  newly  born, 
who  is  already  called  the  child  of  miracle,  which 
raise  their  enthusiasm  to  its  highest  pitch.  After  the 
tragedy,  M.  Mennechet's  verses,  Cest  un  Bourbon^ 
are  sung.  At  the  Feydeau  theatre  the  entire  audi- 
ence join  in  the  air,  Vive  Henri  IV.  At  the  Vari- 
^tes  a  rondo  is  sung  alluding  to  the  twenty-four 
volleys  of  cannon  fired  in  the  morning.  At  the 
Gait^,  a  plump  and  fresh-looking  nurse  arrives  at  the 
close  of  the  Fanfan  la  Tulipe,  and  furnishes  the  occa- 
sion for  a  very  joyous  entertainment. 

To  sum  up,  the  29th  of  September  was  but  one 
continual  ovation  for  the  Duchess  of  Berry.  After 
so  much  emotion  and  so  much  happiness,  the  valiant 
mother  needed  repose.  But  listen  to  Madame  de 
Gontaut :  — 

"  After  the  evening  reception  Madame  was  tired ; 
the  Faculty  interposed  and  ordered  absolute  quiet; 
she  consented  to  it  on  condition  that  she  might  have 


218  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BEERY 

her  children  near  her.  I  had  the  two  cradles  and 
my  bed  set  up  in  the  gallery.  Madame  Lemoine  not 
only  took  care  of  Monseigneur,  but  acted  as  nurse  to 
Madame.  This  citizen-like  simplicity  pleased  her. 
On  this  first  night,  Madame,  who  was  very  uneasy, 
often  summoned  her  nurse  ;  at  such  times  I  remained 
alone  in  that  badly  lighted  gallery,  still  hung  with 
black,  where  everything  was  dismal  and  the  image  of 
a  tomb. — Poor,  fatherless  infant,  I  said  to  myself;  a 
prey  to  the  most  frightful  attempts  even  before  his 
birth  (for  that  of  Gravier  was  fresh  in  my  remem- 
brance) !  —  Oh,  how  fervent  were  the  prayers  I 
addressed  to  Heaven  !  I  shall  never  forget  that  first 
night.  When  day  began  to  break,  it  seemed  to  me 
that  I  gained  more  confidence  ;  the  name  the  Nuncio 
had  given  to  the  Prince  recurred  to  my  mind.  No, 
said  I ;  God  does  not  work  a  miracle  without  an  end 
in  view." 


XXIV 

THE  BEJOICINGS 

THE  newly  born  had  received  the  Christian  names 
of  Henri  Charles  Ferdinand  Dieudonnd  (God- 
given)  :  the  first  in  memory  of  the  most  popular  of 
his  ancestors  ;  the  second,  in  memory  of  his  father, 
the  Duke  of  Berry ;  the  third,  on  account  of  his  great- 
grandfather and  sponsor,  King  Ferdinand  of  the  Two 
Sicilies;  and  the  fourth,  in  allusion  to  Heaven,  to 
whom  thanks  were  offered  for  the  birth  of  an  heir  to 
so  many  kings.  As  to  his  title  of  Duke  of  Bordeaux, 
this  was  a  recompense  granted  to  the  city  which 
boasted  of  having  been  the  first  to  proclaim  the  Bour- 
bon Restoration,  in  1814.  The  young  Prince  was 
born  on  September  29,  1820,  feast  of  Saint  Michael 
the  Archangel,  one  of  the  protectors  of  France.  The 
courtiers  never  stopped  saying  that  this  was  a  presage 
of  good  fortune,  a  proof  of  the  divine  favor.  Cha- 
teaubriand has  made  this  remark :  "  When  Henri 
was  born,  on  Saint  Michael's  Day,  did  not  people  say 
that  the  archangel  was  going  to  put  the  dragon  under 
his  feet  ?  It  is  to  be  feared,  on  the  contrary,  that  the 
flaming  sword  was  only  drawn  from  the  scabbard  to 

219 


220  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBBY 

banish  the  innocent  from  the  terrestrial  paradise,  and 
to  guard  its  doors  against  him." 

Meanwhile  the  joy  of  the  royalists  rose  to  delirium. 
They  triumphed  noisily  and  proudly.  One  of  their 
journals  termed  the  little  Prince  the  Messias  of  legiti- 
macy. Another  said  one  would  have  to  be  an  atheist 
not  to  see  the  finger  of  God  in  his  birth.  Those  were 
held  up  to  public  indignation  "  whose  criminal  silence 
and  guilty  reticence  disclosed  odious  sentiments."  The 
following  appeared  in  the  Dehats :  ''Young  infant, 
object  of  so  much  love  and  so  many  prayers,  in  the 
midst  of  political  storms  you  appear  to  us  as  a  star 
appears  as  the  last  sign  of  hope  to  the  mariner  beaten 
by  the  tempest.  May  the  efforts  of  honest  men  rally 
around  your  cradle !  May  all  the  efforts  of  the  wicked 
come  to  naught  against  that  sacred  cradle  I  Grow 
up  to  imitate  the  virtues  of  the  noble  family  that 
surrounds  you !  Grow  up  to  console  a  mother  who 
conceived  you  in  sadness  !  Grow  up  to  render  happy 
a  people  who  received  you  with  so  much  joy ! " 

Although  the  birth  of  a  posthumous  child  is  in 
nowise  a  miraculous  event,  people  persisted  in  calling 
the  Duke  of  Bordeaux  the  child  of  miracle.  The 
address  of  the  National  Guard  of  Paris  was  thus 
expressed :  — 

"  The  happiness  of  the  King  is  that  of  France ;  our 
hearts  have  no  words  whereby  to  express  the  senti- 
ment which  transports  us.  Sire,  you  have  in  us  sub- 
jects faithful  to  their  King,  children  who  will  cherish 
a  father,  and  soldiers  ready  to  shed  their  blood  for 


THE    BEJOICINGS  221 


the  defence  of  the  throne.  The  child  of  miracle  is  a 
certain  pledge  of  the  altogether  special  mercy  which 
watches  over  France.  Your  enemies,  Sire,  are  those 
of  the  human  species ;  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux,  worthy- 
scion  of  so  many  kings,  has  vanquished  them  on  the 
day  of  his  birth.  May  the  love  of  the  French  people 
efface  the  tears  which  cruel  souvenirs  mingle  with  so 
much  joy ! " 

Royalist  gladness  manifested  itself  in  popular 
demonstrations.  On  Sunday,  October  1,  at  eleven 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  market  porters  and  the 
charcoal  men  of  Paris,  all  dressed  in  new  clothes, 
executed  several  daftces  in  front  of  the  Duchess  of 
Berry's  windows.  They  hurrahed  for  the  Princess, 
who,  having  had  her  bed  drawn  near  a  w^indow, 
showed  them  her  son,  whom  she  held  in  her  arms. 
Then  she  ordered  that  the  doors  of  her  apartments 
should  be  thrown  open  to  them,  and  all,  entering  by 
twos,  contemplated  the  mother  and  the  child. 

October  3,  there  were  public  fetes  and  rejoicings, 
a  Te  Deum  at  Notre  Dame,  a  free  distribution  of 
eatables,  and  a  hundred  barrels  of  wine  in  the 
Champs  Elys^es,  balls  and  spectacles  on  the  Square 
Marigny,  fireworks  and  general  illuminations. 

On  the  same  day,  after  the  Mass  in  the  chapel  of 
the  Tuileries,  the  diplomatic  corps  having  presented 
its  homage  to  the  King  and  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux, 
Monseigneur  Machi,  the  Papal  Nuncio,  spoke  as  fol- 
lows :  "  Sire,  the  diplomatic  corps  comes  to  join  its 
felicitations  to  those  of  all  France  for  the  great  bene- 


222  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BERRY 

fit  which  a  most  favorable  Providence  has  deigned 
to  grant  to  the  paternal  tenderness  of  Your  Majesty. 
This  child  of  sorrows,  of  souvenirs,  and  regrets,  is  also 
the  child  of  Europe ;  he  is  the  herald  and  the  guar- 
antee of  the  peace  and  repose  which  must  follow  so 
many  agitations." 

Louis  XVIII.  responded :  "  Never  have  I  received 
with  so  much  satisfaction  the  congratulations  of  the 
diplomatic  corps.  I  am  persuaded  that  your  sov- 
ereigns share  the  joy  that  fills  my  heart;  it  is  all 
the  more  vivid  because  I  behold  in  this  great  event 
the  most  signal  benefit  of  Providence,  and  the  pledge 
of  the  repose  which  He  will  at  last  deign  to  bestow 
upon  the  world.  I  recommend  this  dear  child  to  the 
prayers  of  the  Holy  Father,  to  those  of  the  whole 
Church,  and  to  the  friendship  of  all  sovereigns." 

Popular  festivities  continued.  In  virtue  of  a  reso- 
lution taken,  October  2,  by  the  municipal  council, 
the  prefect  of  the  Seine  had  been  invited  to  assemble 
at  banquets  the  market-women,  the  corporation  of 
market-porters,  and  also  that  of  the  charcoal-burners. 
The  banquets  took  place  on  Sunday,  October  8,  that 
of  the  "Ladies  of  the  market"  at  the  market  of 
Blancs-Manteaux^  those  of  "  Messieurs  the  porters  of 
the  markets  and  the  wharves  "  in  the  premises  of  the 
storage  granaries,  boulevard  of  the  Arsenal,  and  that 
of  "  Messieurs  the  charcoal-burners "  at  the  Saint- 
Martin  market.  The  honors  of  each  table  were  done  by 
the  mayors  of  Paris,  and  a  ball  followed  each  banquet. 

At  this  time  the  Duchess  of   Berry  excited  uni- 


THE  BEJOICINGS  223 


versal  enthusiasm.  A  witty  woman  said,  "  The 
Duchess  of  Beriy  has  brought  forth  not  only  the 
Duke  of  Bordeaux,  but  a  great  number  of  royalists 
also."  Never  has  there  been  a  princess  more  the 
fashion  in  the  salons  or  more  popular  with  the 
masses.  The  letter  by  which  she  obtained  pardon 
for  Bouton  and  Gravier,  who  had  been  condemned 
to  death  for  attempts  against  her  person,  received 
unanimous  praise.  This  beautiful  and  generous  let- 
ter is  thus  expressed :  — 

"  Sire  :  As  I  cannot  see  the  King  to-day,  I  write 
to  him  to  ask  pardon  for  two  unfortunate  men  who 
were  condemned  to  death  yesterday  for  an  attempt 
against  my  person.  I  should  be  in  despair  if  there 
were  Frenchmen  who  must  die  for  me.  The  angel 
whom  I  mourn  asked  pardon  as  he  was  dying  for 
his  murderer;  he  shall  be  the  arbiter  of  my  life. 
Will  you  permit  me,  uncle,  to  imitate  him,  and  to 
implore  Your  Majesty  to  grant  the  favor  of  life  to 
these  two  unfortunates?  The  King's  august  ex- 
ample has  accustomed  us  to  clemency.  Will  he 
deign  to  permit  that  the  first  instants  of  the  exist- 
ence of  my  Henri,  my  dear  son,  be  marked  by  a 
pardon  ?  Excuse,  my  dear  uncle,  the  liberty  I  dare 
take  of  opening  my  heart  to  you;  on  all  occasions 
your  indulgent  goodness  has  encouraged  me.  I  sup- 
plicate the  King  to  excuse  my  boldness,  and  to 
believe  in  the  respect,  as  profound  as  the  sentiments 
with  which  I  am,  of  Your  Majesty,  the  most  humble 
and  most  obedient  and  most  submissive  niece. 

"  Caroline." 


224  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BEBBY 

The  royalists,  satisfied  with  the  present  and  look- 
ing tranquilly  towards  the  future,  thought  them- 
selves in  possession  of  the  promised  land.  To  read 
their  journals,  one  would  think  that  the  age  of  gold 
had  returned  to  earth.  They  published  sentimental 
anecdotes  like  the  story  of  old  Huet,  a  man  of  a  hun- 
dred and  sixteen  years,  who  had  been  born  in  the 
corps  to  which  his  father  belonged  towards  the  close 
of  the  reign  of  Louis  XIV.  Having  been  received 
by  the  Duchess  of  Berry,  he  blessed  the  little  Prince, 
saying,  "  I  have  the  happiness  to  see  the  sixth  gen- 
eration of  the  Bourbons."  A  glass  of  the  Jurangon 
wine  with  which  the  lips  of  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux 
had  been  moistened  at  his  birth  was  poured  out  for 
the  good  old  man,  and  a  gold  medal  given  him,  rep- 
resenting France  and  the  Prince,  with  this  motto : 
"  Frenchmen,  I  give  him  to  you ;  swear  to  defend 
him." 

Felicitations,  addresses,  protestations  of  devotion, 
arrived  from  every  corner  of  the  realm.  Balls,  re- 
joicings, and  entertainments  were  given  everywhere. 
The  King  distributed  thirty-four  ribbons  of  the 
Order  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  MM.  Decazes,  Pasquier, 
Lain^,  de  Serre,  Dessoles,  Marshals  Moncey,  Victor, 
Macdonald,  Oudinot,  Marmont,  and  Suchet  figured 
in  the  promotion,  beside  Prince  Talleyrand,  the  Dukes 
of  Luxembourg,  de  Gramont,  de  Ldvis,  de  Mouchy, 
de  Montmorency,  the  Abb^  de  Montesquiou,  and  Car- 
dinals de  Beausset  and  de  La  Luzerne. 

We  read  in  the  Moniteur  of  October  22:  — 


THE  BEJOICINGS  225 


"After  the  audience  with  the  King,  the  whole 
diplomatic  corps  were  introduced  into  the  apartments 
of  S.  A.  R.  the  Duchess  of  Berry,  who  was  on  a  couch 
placed  beneath  the  full-length  portrait  of  the  spouse 
whom  she  daily  mourns.  On  her  knees  lay  the  son, 
the  successor  of  so  many  illustrious  monarchs ;  in  a 
word,  the  new  Henri  whom  Heaven  has  given  to  be 
the  consolation  of  his  heroic  mother  and  the  hope  of 
the  country.  Her  entire  household,  ranged  around 
her,  shared  her  doleful  situation  ;  tears  were  in  every 
eye.  But  in  the  midst  of  this  general  affliction  the 
Princess  pressed  to  her  bosom,  with  tender  affection, 
the  gift  she  has  received  from  Heaven,  while  her 
august  daughter  seemed,  by  her  grace  and  that  ex- 
pression of  kindliness  which  belongs  to  her  family, 
to  be  saying  to  those  who  were  present,  '  Love  me ;  I 
shall  merit  it  some  day,  like  all  my  relatives.' 

"  It  was  under  these  circumstances  that  the  Nuncio 
Apostolic  addressed  the  following  discourse  to  her  in 
the  name  of  the  diplomatic  body :  — 

"'Madame,  Heaven  has  deigned  to  accord  Your 
Royal  Highness  the  greatest  of  all  consolations..  This 
precious  infant,  who  makes  the  happiness  of  France 
and  staunches  so  many  tears,  is  a  recompense  of  the 
eminent  virtues  which  honor  Your  Royal  Highness, 
and  of  the  truly  heroic  courage  which  distinguishes 
you.  The  diplomatic  corps,  overwhelmed  with  joy, 
has  the  honor  to  present  the  homage  of  its  felicitations 
to  the  august  mother,  and  to  offer  the  most  ardent 
prayers  for  the  preservation  of  a  prince  who  is  the 
object  of  so  many  hopes  and  so  many  interests.' 


226  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBRY 

"  A  new  Jeanne  d'Albret,  the  august  Princess  re- 
plied, with  as  much  greatness  of  soul  as  nobility :  '  I 
thank  the  sovereigns  for  the  sentiments  you  have  just 
expressed.  I  am  proud  of  the  title  you  have  given 
to  my  son,  of  Child  of  Europe.  Accept  also  my 
thanks  for  your  participation  in  my  sorrows.'  " 

The  Emperor  Alexander  had  written  to  Louis 
XYIII. :  — 

"  The  birth  of  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux  is  an  event 
which  I  regard  as  very  auspicious  for  peace,  and  which 
conveys  just  consolation  to  the  bosom  of  your  family. 
I  beg  Your  Majesty  to  believe  that  I  ratify  the  title 
of  Child  of  Europe  with  which  Monseigneur  the 
Duke  of  Bordeaux  has  been  saluted." 

Naturally,  the  poets  joined  the  party.  Victor  Hugo 
wrote  a  dithyramb  in  honor  of  the  young  Prince,  in 
the  month  of  October,  1820.  Lamartine's  enthu- 
siasm was  not  less  lyrical.  Alas !  there  was  nothing 
new  in  these  adulations ;  read  the  Moniteur  of  1811, 
and  you  will  find  just  such  lyrics  and  hyperboles  con- 
cerning the  King  of  Rome  and  the  Empress  Marie 
Louise.  Casimir  Delavigne,  essaying  his  adolescent 
muse,  had  saluted  the  heir  of  the  Empire  as  a  "  child 
dear  to  Heaven,  awaited  by  earth,  promised  to  pos- 
terity." M.  Lemaire,  a  professor  known  by  his 
talent  for  Latin  verse,  had  carried  his  enthusiasm  so 
far  as  to  compare  Marie  Louise  to  another  Marie, 
this  other  being  the  Blessed  Virgin.  One  of  these 
two  sovereigns,  he  said,  reigns  in  heaven,  the  other 
on  earth,  — 

"  HcBc  coelo  regina  micat ;  micat  altera  terris." 


THE  BEJOICINGS  227 


Among  the  courtiers  now  weeping  with  joy  before 
the  cradle  of  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux  were  many  men 
who,  nine  years  before,  had  been  shedding  enthusi- 
astic tears  before  the  cradle  of  the  King  of  Rome, 
and  who,  eighteen  years  later,  would  display  the 
same  emotion  before  the  cradle  of  the  Count  of 
Paris.  Strange  epoch,  bizarre  commingling  of  oppos- 
ing ideas  and  principles !  How  many  retractations 
among  the  prose-writers  and  the  poets !  One  of  the 
two  bards  who  sang  with  Biblical  emotion  the  birth 
of  the  child  of  miracle  became  the  founder  of  the 
Second  Republic,  and  the  other  has  had  a  burial 
without  religious  rites.  What  would  these  enthusi- 
astic defenders  of  the  throne  and  the  altar,  these 
mystical  poets  to  whom  royalty  was  a  dogma,  a 
divine  right,  have  said  had  the  vicissitudes  in  their 
opinions  and  their  career  been  predicted  to  them  ? 

However,  even  in  1820,  there  was  more  than  one 
discordant  note  in  the  concert  of  adulations  going  on 
around  a  cradle.  M.  de  Lally  wrote  to  the  Duke 
Decazes  the  following  letter,  in  which  Orleanist  ten- 
dencies are  already  perceptible  :  — 

"  When  I  say  to  you  that  I  have  been  pleased  with 
this  birth  chiefly  on  the  King's  account,  it  is  because 
I  am  daily  more  inclined  to  doubt  whether  it  is  the 
combination  most  desirable  for  France,  for  the  mon- 
archy, and  for  this  dynasty  which  is  so  dear  to  us ; 
whether  the  birth  of  a  Princess  who  might  have  been 
affianced  in  her  cradle  to  that  admirably  trained 
Prince  "  (the  Duke  of  Chartres,  then  ten  years  old) 


228  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBRY 

"  would  not  have  been  more  propitious  to  these  great 
interests,  more  calculated  to  settle  minds,  to  consoli- 
date the  Charter,  to  dissipate  gloom,  and  to  make 
conciliation  necessary.  The  turn  affairs  are  taking 
gives  room  to  fear  lest  new  discords  may  issue  from 
this  cradle  which  was  to  be  the  ark  of  the  covenant 
and  the  symbol  of  reunion."  It  seems  that  when  he 
heard  the  cannon  that  announced  the  birth  of  the 
child  so  impatiently  expected,  the  Duke  of  Welling- 
ton exclaimed,  "  There  is  the  death-knell  of  legiti- 
macy ! "  At  bottom,  France  was  wavering  betwixt 
opposing  sentiments.  The  Duchess  Victor  de  Broglie 
wrote,  October  18,  1820 :  "  The  birth  of  the  Duke  of 
Bordeaux  has  given  the  Bourbons  a  momentary  pop- 
ularity ;  the  people  are  really  delighted.  No  one  can 
say  whether  they  are  loved  or  hated,  so  fluctuating 
and  uncertain  is  opinion."  Who  could  be  surprised 
at  the  scepticism  of  people  who  had  witnessed  so 
many  metamorphoses?  They  believed  in  nothing, 
especially  not  in  themselves. 


XXV 


CHAMBORD 


THREE  leagues  from  the  Loire,  on  the  banks  of 
the  Cosson,  near  the  waste  lands  of  Sologne, 
rises  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  picturesque 
castles  in  the  world,  the  marvellous  and  fantastic 
Chambord.  It  is  an  immense  feudal  manor,  flanked 
by  four  enormous  towers,  each  sixty  feet  in  diameter. 
In  its  architecture  the  Moorish  and  Gothic  styles  are 
united  with  exquisite  elegance.  What  historian, 
what  artist,  what  man  of  taste,  could  contemplate 
this  magnificent  efflorescence  of  art  without  emotion? 
The  best  view  of  it  is  obtained  from  the  middle  of 
the  esplanade  that  separates  it  from  the  ruin. 
There  all  can  be  seen  at  once,  —  the  towers,  the 
pavilions,  the  chimneys,  the  terraces,  the  arcaded 
galleries,  the  myriads  of  bell  turrets  and  caryatides, 
and  the  cupola  which  crowns  the  celebrated  staircase 
where  two  flights  of  steps,  crossing  each  other,  turn 
around  the  same  spiral  of  stone  in  such  a  manner  that 
two  visitors  might  ascend  to  the  very  top  at  the  same 
time  without  meeting  each  other.  At  every  one  of 
its  four  landings,  four  immense  halls  in  the  form  of  a 
Greek  cross  surround  this  superb  stairway  with  its 

229 


230  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBBY 

wide  and  easily  ascended  steps.  Victor  Hugo  has 
described  it  as  "  beautiful  as  a  palace  of  fairies  and 
grand  as  a  palace  of  kings."  From  the  balconies, 
which  surmount  the  roof  of  the  castle,  the  eye 
reaches  to  an  immense  distance,  and  takes  in  Blois, 
Beaugency,  Orleans,  the  flat  plains  of  Sologne  and 
the  smiling  valley  of  the  Loire. 

Coppices,  heather,  woods,  meadows,  lakes,  make 
up  the  vast  park,  seven  leagues  in  extent,  and  sur- 
rounded by  walls.  It  is  inhabited  by  a  rural  popula- 
tion who  form  a  commune.  When  the  park  gates 
are  closed  in  the  evening,  the  commune,  with  its 
municipal  council  and  its  town  hall,  are  literally 
under  lock  and  key. 

A  swarm  of  historical  souvenirs  gather  round  this 
legendary  castle.  Chambord  was  originally  owned 
by  the  Counts  of  Blois,  belonging  to  the  family  of 
Champagne,  but  it  was  then  merely  a  rendezvous 
for  huntsmen.  At  the  end  of  the  fourteenth  century 
it  came  into  the  possession  of  the  Orleans  family.  A 
century  later,  Louis  of  Orleans  having  become  King 
of  France  under  the  title  of  Louis  XIL,  Chambord 
became  crown  property.  Its  splendor  dates  from 
Francis  I.  On  his  return  from  captivity  in  Madrid, 
the  most  artistic  sovereign  who  has  ever  reigned  in 
France  ordered  the  construction  of  the  existing 
castle.  Louis  XIV.  sojourned  there  nine  times. 
Two  of  Moliere's  plays  were  given  there  for  the  first 
time.  Monsieur  de  Pourceaugnac  in  1669,  and  Le 
Bourgeois    Gentilhomme   in   1670.     The   ex-King   of 


CHAMBOBD  231 


Poland,  Stanislas  Leszinski,  the  fatlier-in-law  of 
Louis  XV.,  took  up  his  residence  at  Chambord,  and 
built  the  delightful  chapel  which  is  still  called  the 
chapel  of  the  Queen  of  Poland.  Maurice  de  Saxe 
was  endowed  with  Chambord  after  the  peace  of  Aix 
la  Chapelle.  The  victor  of  Fontenoy  caused  two 
barracks  to  be  constructed  beside  the  castle  for  his 
two  regiments  of  uhlans.  The  Ukraine  horses,  left 
free  in  the  park,  ran  up  of  their  own  accord  at  the 
hour  of  drill,  when  the  trumpets  gave  the  signal 
from  the  terraces. 

Under  the  Revolution,  Chambord  having  become 
national  property,  the  interior  of  the  chapel  was 
mutilated  and  defaced.  The  furniture,  which  was 
of  royal  magnificence,  disappeared.  It  was  sold  at 
auction  to  the  second-hand  furniture-dealers  of  the 
neighborhood,  who  carried  off  everything,  even  to 
the  chimney-pieces.  The  beautiful  Arras  and  Gobelin 
tapestries,  which  decorated  the  apartments  of  Francis 
I.,  were  burned  for  the  sake  of  the  small  quantity 
of  gold  and  silver  they  contained. 

At  the  time  the  Legion  of  Honor  was  instituted, 
Chambord  became  the  headquarters  of  the  15th 
cohort,  and  was  comprised  in  the  property  set  apart 
as  its  endowment.  In  1809  it  became,  for  the  benefit 
of  Marshal  Berthier,  the  seat  of  the  principality  of 
Wagram,  with  an  annual  allotment  of  five  hundred 
thousand  francs.  After  the  fall  of  Napoleon  this 
allotment  was  suppressed.  Marshal  Berthier's  widow 
was  no  longer  able  to  keep  up  the  expenses  of  so 


232  ,  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBBY 

large  a  domain,  and  by  a  decree  dated  August 
31,  1819,  she  was  permitted  to  sell  the  castle  of 
Chambord. 

The  exterior  of  the  edifice  was  still  superb;  but 
the  interior  presented  an  appearance  of  complete 
dilapidation.  Euined  by  the  rains  which  filtered 
through  the  soft  stone  of  the  roofs  from  which  the 
lead  had  been  stripped,  the  apartments  were  but  the 
shadoAV  of  their  former  selves.  The  four  hundred 
and  forty  rooms  of  which  the  French  Alhambra  was 
composed  were  entirely  bare.  Of  Maurice  de  Saxe's 
bedchamber  nothing  remained  but  the  ruins  of  the 
gallery  which  had  surrounded  the  platform  on  which 
his  bed  had  stood.  The  altar  and  the  pictures  had 
disappeared  from  the  Queen  of  Poland's  chapel,  and 
nothing  indicated  that  it  had  been  a  holy  place. 
The  roofs  were  everywhere  sinking  in,  the  balconies 
were  cracked,  the  ceilings  and  floors  destroyed,  the 
parquetry  broken  by  the  fall  of  joists  and  timbers. 
The  doors  and  windows,  without  panels,  shutters,  or 
panes,  left  the  apartments  exposed  to  all  the  inclem- 
ency of  the  weather.  The  fine  barracks  which  Mar- 
shal de  Saxe  had  constructed  in  the  park,  near  the 
chateau,  were  falling  into  ruins. 

'Shis  was  the  time  when  the  Black  Band,  that 
society  of.  iconoclasts,  attacked  all  the  castles  and 
razed  to  the  ground  the  most  admirable  monuments 
of  the  past  as  a  matter  of  speculation.  Royalist 
society,  instead  of  combining  against  this  work  of 
destruction,  remained  inert,  and  even  the  King  him- 


CHAMBOBD  233 


self  never  thought  of  saving  such  a  marvel  as  Cham- 
bord.  The  castle  so  dear  to  Francis  I.  was  about  to 
disappear  like  an  ordinary  house.  The  pickaxe  of 
the  demolisher  was  getting  ready  to  sack  and  tear 
down  without  pity  the  masterpiece  of  sixteenth  cen- 
tury architecture.  A  part  of  the  old  trees  in  the 
park  were  already  cut  down.  The  day  for  selling 
the  domain  at  auction  was  already  fixed.  The  purest 
gem  of  the  Renaissance  was  to  be  sold  by  weight. 
The  Black  Band  was  about  to  fall  upon  its  prey, 
when,  by  mere  chance,  a  conversation  which  caused 
the  redemption  of  Chambord  took  place  between 
Count  Adrien  de  Calonne,  quartermaster  of  the 
King's  cavalry,  and  General  Baron  Du  Casse,  com- 
mandant of  the  department  of  the  Somme.  M.  de 
Calonne,  on  returning  from  a  journey  in  the  west, 
had  just  visited  the  castle,  and  described  to  General 
Du  Casse  the  deplorable  condition  of  that  magnificent 
edifice. 

"But,  my  dear  Calonne,"  exclaimed  the  general, 
"  you  must  put  a  stop  to  this  act  of  vandalism." 

"  How  can  I  do  that,  general  ?  " 

"  I  will  tell  you ;  it  occurred  to  me  while  I  was 
listening  to  you.  You  must  open  a  subscription  to  buy 
Chambord  and  present  it  to  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux." 

"  That  is  an  excellent  idea,  general,  I  admit ;  but 
why  not  put  it  into  execution  yourself?  " 

"  No ;  I  can't  do  it ;  it  would  seem  as  if  I  were  an 
ambitious  soldier  who  wanted  to  advance  himself 
with  money  belonging  to  the  public.     I  might  be  ac- 


234  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BEBBY 

cused  of  having  ransomed  Chambord  and  bought  my 
epaulettes  as  lieutenant-general  at  one  stroke. . . .  You 
are  evidently  the  right  man ;  don't  shrink  from  it." 

M.  de  Calonne  allowed  himself  to  be  persuaded, 
and  became  the  promoter  of  the  subscription. 

At  first  the  idea  was  not  welcomed  by  either  Louis 
XVIII.  or  his  ministers.  But  at  this  period  a  great 
part  of  France  was  more  royalist  than  the  King,  and 
M.  de  Calonne's  proposition  was  cordially  approved 
in  the  departments  and  at  Paris.  Caen  was  the  first 
city  which  gave  in  its  adhesion.  Its  municipal  coun- 
cil voted  an  address,  October  11,  1820,  in  which  it 
was  said :  — 

"Sire,  Your  Majesty  has  deigned  to  accept  from 
certain  respectable  but  not  rich  mothers  of  one  of 
your  cities  (the  market-women  of  Bordeaux)  the 
cradle  of  the  heir  to  so  many  kings.  Why  should 
not  the  whole  country  be  permitted  to  redeem  for  a 
son  of  France  the  fields  of  his  fathers,  the  manor 
where  his  ancestors  reposed,  the  noble  asylum  of  the 
victor  of  Fontenoy,  and  thus,  with  the  aid  of  the  fine 
arts,  to  found  a  magnificent  monument  of  love  ?  For, 
Sire,  to  preserve  is  to  build  up." 

The  movement  spread  so  rapidly  in  every  commune 
of  the  realm  that  Count  Simeon,  Minister  of  the 
Interior,  who  at  first  looked  unfavorably  at  the 
scheme,  soon  recommended  the  King  to  approve  it. 
In  a  report  dated  December  20,  1820,  he  wrote :  — 

"  How  cold  one  would  seem  in  the  midst  of  uni- 
versal gladness,  if,  under  pretext  of   economy,  one 


CHAMBOBD  235 


should  refuse  to  allow  the  French  people  to  offer  the 
young  Prmce  who  rekindles  all  their  hopes  a  trifling 
tax  on  their  revenues,  when  they  are  ready  to  sacri- 
fice for  him,  if  need  be,  their  property  and  their  lives, 
when  they  would  count  among  their  riches  the  honor 
of  having  furnished  their  quota  of  the  free  gift  which 
will  forever  prove  their  attachment  and  their  love ! 
It  is  for  Your  Majesty  alone  to  refuse,  in  the  name  of 
your  august  ward,  a  present  which  he  does  not  need. 
He  will  have  plenty  of  castles  at  his  disposal  some 
day,  and  the  Chambers,  in  the  name  of  the  nation,  will 
settle  his  allowance.  Meanwhile,  would  it  not  afflict 
good  and  faithful  subjects  if  Your  Majesty  were  to 
accept  the  good  wishes  which  certainly  reach  his 
heart,  and  yet  refuse  the  homage  which  accompanies- 
them  ?  Your  Majesty  would  perhaps  show  as  much 
generosity  as  kindness  by  condescending  to  their 
wishes.  So  many  resolutions  press  one  upon  another 
that  it  is  no  longer  a  question  of  private  affairs  to  be 
examined  according  to  administrative  rules.  It  is  a 
universal  and  national  prayer  which  asks  to  be  heard. 
To  grant  it  would  be  a  sweet  satisfaction  for  Your 
Majesty,  and  a  new  benefit  for  your  subjects." 

This  obsequious  language  was  a  sign  of  the  times. 
To  credit  the  minister's  report,  the  King  was  bestow- 
ing a  favor  on  his  subjects  by  deigning  to  accept 
their  present,  and  he  was  thanked  for  a  generosity 
which  consisted,  not  in  giving,  but  in  receiving. 

The  opposition  tried  in  vain  to  arrest  the  move- 
ment.    Paul  Louis  Courier,  in  his  "  Simple  discourse 


236  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BERBY 

of  a  vine-dresser  of  the  Chavanni^re  to  the  members 
of  the  Municipal  Council  of  Veretz  "  (Indre-et-Loire), 
tried  without  avail  to  combat  the  idea  of  the  subscrip- 
tion. It  made  progress  notwithstanding.  All  the 
communes  of  France  emulated  each  other  in  zeal 
and  generosity.  A  committee,  with  the  Marquis  of 
Herbouville  as  president  and  M.  Berryer  as  secre- 
tary, organized  the  undertaking,  and  in  the  name  of 
the  subscribers,  bought  the  domain  of  Chambord  for 
the  Duke  of  Bordeaux.  It  was  sold  at  auction, 
March  5,  1821,  for  1,542,000  francs,  independent  of 
costs. 

The  news  reached  Chambord  two  days  later,  in  the 
evening.  The  inhabitants  of  the  park  and  the 
neighboring  villages  had  been  anxiously  awaiting 
the  results  of  the  bidding.  A  general  outburst  of 
joy  greeted  the  tidings.  There  were  fireworks  on 
the  Place  d'  Amies,  and  all  the  guards  of  the  park 
assembled  to  salute  the  new  master  of  the  castle  by 
discharges  of  musketry. 

What  is  really  strange  is  that  less  satisfaction  was 
felt  at  the  Tuileries.  We  are  assured  that  the  Count 
of  Artois  was  but  half  pleased  with  the  homage 
offered  to  his  grandson,  and  that  he  said  to  some  one 
who  made  haste  to  inform  him  of  the  result  of  the 
sale,  "  What  business  is  that  of  yours,  sir  ?  "  More 
than  one  ambitious  person  was  secretly  jealous  of  the 
initiative  taken  by  M.  de  Calonne.  Chambord  was 
in  no  great  esteem,  moreover,  because  for  the  last 
century   and   a   half  the  court  had  not  journeyed 


CHAMBOED  237 


thither.  One  courtier  was  heard  to  exclaim  anxiously 
that  the  apartment  formerly  called  the  King's  cabinet 
would  not  be  large  enough  for  the  present  grand 
receptions. 

A  royalist  writer,  M.  Merle,  who  had  brought  back 
some  views,  drawings,  and  notes  concerning  Chambord, 
undertook  to  defend  the  calumniated  castle  to  the 
Duchess  of  Berry,  and  as  the  amiable  Princess  had 
the  soul  of  an  artist,  he  had  no  difficulty  in  convinc- 
ing her.  After  having  examined  the  drawings,  she 
said  to  the  Duchess  of  Reggio,  her  lady  of  honor: 
"  They  told  me  Chambord  was  nothing  but  a  heap  of 
ruins.  How  they  deceived  me ! "  As  soon  as  she 
learned  that  the  buildings  were  intact  and  the  sculp- 
tures in  a  state  of  perfect  preservation,  she  became 
most  enthusiastic,  and  asked  M.  Merle  a  host  of 
questions  concerning  the  historical  origins  and  the 
magnificence  of  the  castle  just  presented  to  her  son. 

Some  weeks  afterward  the  Count  of  Marcellus, 
after  making  a  sort  of  royalist  pilgrimage  to  Cham- 
bord, published  an  article  in  the  Ruche  d' Aquitaine^ 
which  was  republished  in  the  Moniteur  of  August 
30, 1821. 

"  I  confess,"  said  he  in  this  article,  "  that  I  forgot 
Henri  H.  and  Marshal  Saxe,  and  even  Francis  I.,  at 
Chambord,  and  thought  of  no  one  but  the  Duke  of 
Bordeaux.  I  saw  him  only.  To  me,  that  beautiful 
solitude  awoke  to  new  life.  Chambord  became  Ver- 
sailles. I  already  saw  the  superb  castle  resplendent 
with  the  pomps  of  royal  majesty.     I  saw  its  stairs. 


238  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBRY 

its  galleries  and  columns,  its  gardens,  cascades,  and 
sheets  of  water,  and,  in  the  midst  of  all  these  mar- 
vels, the  marvellous  child,  become  a  great  Prince, 
walking  in  the  splendid  alleys  and  meditating,  to 
the  sound  of  ever-flowing  fountains,  on  the  means 
whereby  to  renew  the  welfare  and  the  happiness  of 
the  country  which  had  restored  Chambord  to  him, 
how  to  alleviate  the  woes  of  France,  and  to  recall  the 
days  of  its  power  and  glory  to  the  realm  of  Francis 
I.  and  Henri  the  Great." 

What  has  remained  of  all  these  projects,  of  all 
these  hopes  ?  Nothing,  unless  it  be  the  memory  of  a 
dream. 


XXVI 

THE  BAPTISM  OF  THE  DUKE  OF  BORDEAUX 

THE  baptism  of  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux  took  place 
with  the  greatest  pomp  at  Notre  Dame,  May  1, 
1821.  The  old  basilica  was  resplendent.  An  immense 
portico,  the  whole  width  of  the  front  of  the  church,  had 
been  erected  which  reached  as  high  as  the  upper  galler- 
ies of  the  edifice.  In  the  middle  of  its  front,  a  porch, 
forming  the  principal  entry,  was  covered  with  a  large 
pointed  archway,  richly  decorated  with  the  escutch- 
eons and  monograms  of  Louis  XVIII.  and  the  Duke 
of  Bordeaux.  Below  were  four  gilded  statues  repre- 
senting Clovis,  Charlemagne,  Saint  Louis,  and  Henri 
IV.  Enormous  banners  displaying  the  arms  of  France 
floated  from  the  towers.  Seats  had  been  arranged  in 
form  of  an  amphitheatre  in  the  open  space  before  the 
church.  The  interior  of  the  cathedral  was  hung  with 
magnificent  draperies  and  sparkled  with  a  myriad  of 
lights. 

Listen  to  the  account  given  by  Madame  de  Gontaut, 
governess  of  the  children  of  France :  — 

'*  The  household  of  M.  the  Duke  of  Berry,  already 
styled  the  household  of  M.  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux, 
accompanied  him  to  the  palace  of  the  King,  where 

239 


240  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BERRY 

all  the  princes  were  assembled.  The  grand  master 
of  ceremonies  then  went  to  receive  the  commands  of 
His  Majesty  as  to  the  moment  of  departure ;  the 
aides-de-camp  of  M.  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux  escorted 
him  to  his  carriage ;  I  sat  down  on  the  right,  carry- 
ing Monseigneur,  with  Madame  de  Foresta  (under- 
governess)  carrying  Mademoiselle ;  on  the  left  was 
the  nurse,  facing  her;  Madame  Lemoine  was  opposite 
Monseigneur;  we  were  surrounded  by  body-guards, 
and  an  officer  stood  at  each  of  the  carriage  doors. 

"  At  this  moment  a  man  brought  a  letter  addressed 
to  me  and  then  vanished :  it  was  handed  to  me.  I 
can  recollect  every  word  of  this  note,  which  com- 
menced in  this  way :  '  Urgent  and  important :  Look 
out  when  you  approach  the  Pont-Neuf,  where  there 
is  to  be  a  halt.  Take  care  of  the  Prince  then.'  At 
these  words,  *  Take  care  of  the  Prince,'  I  handed  the 
note  to  the  officer  of  the  body-guards,  saying,  '  This 
concerns  you.'  He  read  it,  and  laying  his  hand  on 
his  sword,  said  to  me,  '  Fear  nothing.' 

"  For  some  years,  the  King,  who  suffered  from 
gout,  had  not  walked  any :  but,  being  still  active,  he 
went  out  every  day  in  an  armchair  rolling  on  a  spring- 
-board adapted  to  the  height  of  a  carriage.  It  was 
thus  His  Majesty  set  out  from  the  Tuileries  for 
Notre  Dame." 

The  grand  procession  started  at  noon.  Three  salvos 
of  artillery,  of  twenty-one  guns  each,  announced  its 
departure.  The  King's  carriages,  fifteen  in  all,  and 
those  of  the  princes  and  princesses  of  the  royal  family, 


THE  BAPTISM  OF  THE  BUKE  OF  BOBBEAUX     241 

amounting  to  twelve,  were  drawn  dow^n  by  eight 
horses  apiece.  That  of  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux  went 
in  front  of  the  King's,  which  was  preceded  by  pages, 
four  herakis,  and  the  king-at-arms.  Louis  XVIII. 
and  the  Duchess  of  Angouleme  sat  on  the  back  seat 
of  the  royal  carriage,  and  the  Duchess  of  Berry  and 
the  Duke  of  Angouleme  on  the  front.  An  immense 
crowd  thronged  the  quays  and  squares  all  along  the 
route.  All  the  windows  were  decked  with  white 
flags  and  flowers.  The  procession  was  to  pass  through 
the  Carrousel,  the  Louvre  quay,  the  quay  I'Ecole,  the 
Orfevres,  the  rue  Marche-Neuf,  the  rue  Neuve-Notre 
Dame,  and  the  Place  of  the  Par  vis-No  tre  Dame. 

The  nearer  it  drew  to  the  Pont-Neuf,  the  more 
Madame  de  Gontaut  pondered  on  the  mysterious 
billet  that  had  been  sent  her.  Let  us  return  to  her 
account :  — 

"  There  was  a  halt  at  the  Pont-Neuf,  the  market- 
women  having  received  permission  to  present  a  bou- 
quet to  Monseigneur  and  an  address  to  the  King, 
during  which,  I  confess,  I  held  Monseigneur  close  ta 
my  heart,  which  was  beating  very  hard,  and  gave 
those  dames  a  view  of  my  broad  shoulders." 

The  anxieties  of  the  governess  were  not  yet  ended. 
"  The  good  and  gentle  Madame  de  Foresta,"  she 
adds,  "  who  was  tormented  by  timidity,  implored  me 
not  to  abandon  her  during  the  imposing  ceremony 
which  was  at  hand.  I  explained  to  her  that  she  had 
nothing  to  do  except  to  keep  near  Madame  the 
Duchess  of  Berry.     I  told  the  nurse  to  assist  her  in 


242  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBRY 

getting  out  of  the  carriage  and  lead  her  to  the  cathe- 
dral, which  she  did ;  then  I  9,sked  Madame  Lemoine 
to  roll  up  the  bottom  of  my  robe,  which  was  over 
eight  yards  in  length,  and  heavy  with  silver,  and  be 
careful  in  throwing  it  after  me  at  the  moment  I 
alighted  (which  she  happily  did).  When  we  reached 
the  open  space  in  front  of  Notre  Dame,  a  footman 
opened  the  carriage  door;  Madame  de  Foresta  and 
the  nurse  alighted ;  but  as  I  was  still  standing  on  the 
steps,  with  -the  Duke  of  Bordeaux  in  my  arms,  I  felt 
and  saw  the  two  front  horses  of  the  King's  carriage 
coming  up  to  me  at  full  speed.  It  was  too  late  to 
draw  back,  and  I  sprang  out  with  the  force  and  skill 
given  by  a  danger  which  must  be  escaped.  I  saw  M. 
the  Duke  of  Orleans,  who  had  already  arrived  to 
receive  the  King,  and  I  called  him  in  a  terrified 
voice.  A  footman  had  caught  up  the  bottom  of  my 
robe  with  much  presence  of  mind ;  the  Duke  of 
Orleans,  prompt  and  attentive,  supported  me,  and 
said,  '  The  Duke  of  Bordeaux  is  safe ;  go  into  the 
cathedral ;  they  are  waiting  for  you  there.' 

"  At  this  moment,  M.  de  Br^ze  came  to  look  for  me. 
The  church  was  dazzling;  every  pillar  was  covered 
with  gold  and  silver  gauze;  the  raised  seats  were 
filled  with  elegant  women;  nothing  could  be  finer. 
I  advanced  alone,  holding  Monseigneur  in  my  arms 
so  that  everybody  could  see  him.  The  organ  began 
as  soon  as  he  appeared.  Monseigneur  was  not  fright- 
ened. He  sat  up  and  began  to  look  for  the  place 
the  beautiful  sound  came  from.     He  was  charming 


THE  BAPTISM  OF  THE  DUKE  OF  BORDEAUX     243 

then.  The  cries  of  'Long  live  the  Duke  of  Bor- 
deaux ! '  were  unanimous." 

Cardinal  Perigord,  the  Archbishop  of  Paris,  was 
old  and  infirm,  and  as  little  able  to  walk  as  Louis 
XVIII.  He  was  therefore  obliged  to  remain  at  the 
altar,  and  it  was  his  coadjutor,  Mgr.  de  Qu^len,  who 
went  to  the  threshold  of  the  cathedral  to  receive  the 
King :  "  Sire,"  said  he,  "  our  venerable  Archbishop  is 
now  at  the  foot  of  the  holy  altar,  imploring  celestial 
blessings  on  the  King,  his  august  family,  and  France. 
He  has  sent  me  to  beg  Your  Majesty  to  graciously 
permit  his  old  age  to  borrow,  to-day,  the  voice  of  his 
coadjutor  whereby  to  offer  Your  Majesty  his  profound 
and  respectful  homage,  and  that  of  his  chapter  and 
diocesan  clergy." 

Louis  XYIII.  replied :  "  Your  venerable  Archbishop 
could  not  express  his  sentiments  to  me  through  a  more 
worthy  interpreter.  It  is  consoling  for  me,  in  my 
infirmities,  to  be  able  to  enter  the  Lord's  temple  and 
offer  Him  the  child  of  Saint  Louis,  the  child  of  France, 
my  child,  the  inheritor  of  my  throne.  Let  us  seek 
for  him  the  protection  of  the  Mother  of  God,  the 
Queen  of  Angels.  Let  us  pray  her  to  watch  over  his 
life,  to  avert  from  his  cradle  the  misfortunes  by  which 
it  pleased  Providence  to  try  his  parents,  and  to  con- 
duct him,  by  a  less  difficult  path  than  mine,  to  eternal 
happiness." 

Surrounded  by  the  princes  and  princesses  and  the 
officers  of  his  household,  Louis  XVIIL,  drawn  in  his 
armchair,  slowly  approached  the  choir,  and  then  his 


244  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBRY 

prie-Dieu.  On  his  right  were  the  Count  of  Artois, 
the  Duke  of  Angouleme,  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux, 
in  the  arms  of  his  governess,  the  Duke  of  Orleans  and 
the  Duke  of  Bourbon;  on  his  left,  the  Duchess  of 
Angouleme,  the  Duchess  of  Berry,  Mademoiselle,  car- 
ried by  the  under-governess,  the  Duchess  of  Orleans 
and  Mademoiselle  of  Orleans.  Cardinal  P<3rigord, 
Archbishop  of  Paris,  intoned  the  Veni  Creator,  Then 
the  princes  and  princesses  of  the  royal  family  and 
of  the  blood  approached  the  steps  of  the  Sanctuary, 
and  the  baptism  was  celebrated.  Monsieur  represented 
the  King  of  the  Two  Sicilies,  the  godfather.  The 
Duchess  of  Angouleme  represented  the  Duchess  of 
Calabria,  hereditary  Princess  of  the  Two  Sicilies,  the 
godmother.  After  the  baptism,  the  governess  of  the 
children  of  France  ascended  the  altar  steps  and  laid 
the  little  Prince  thereon  for  an  instant,  then,  turning 
and  holding  him  up  in  her  arms,  she  presented  him 
to  the  audience,  who  greeted  him  with  acclamations. 
Cardinal  P^rigord.  said  afterwards  to  the  King: 
"  Sire,  when  this  royal  infant  was  given  to  God  to 
console  France  in  its  misfortunes.  Religion  saluted, 
him  with  transports  of  gratitude.  It  cannot,  without 
profound  emotion,  see  Your  Majesty  coming  in  person 
to  consecrate  him  to  the  Lord  in  His  temple  and  to 
lay  him  on  His  altar,  as  if  to  recognize  in  a  more 
solemn  manner  the  miracle  of  so  great  a  blessing. 
Religion,  Sire,  gives  back  into  your  hands  this  pre- 
cious deposit,  laden  with  its  blessings  and  its  hopes ; 
it  confides  him  to  Your  Majesty  to  be  taught,  by  your 


THE  BAPTISM  OF  THE  DUKE  OF  BORDEAUX     245 

lessons  and  examples,  what  the  Church  has  the  right 
to  expect  from  a  most  Christian  King." 

Louis  XVIII.  replied;  "What  better  could  I  do 
than  to  come  and  present  this  precious  infant  to  the 
Lord,  to  invoke  for  him  the  protection  of  the  most 
Holy  Virgin,  and  to  dare  adjoin  my  blessing  to  that 
which  you  have  just  poured  out  upon  his  head  ?  Pray 
for  him,  Monsieur  the  Cardinal;  I  beg  you  most 
urgently  to  do  so.  Let  the  metropolitan  clergy  and 
all  the  clergy  of  France  pray  for  him,  that  he  may 
render  himself  worthy  of  the  blessing  bestowed  on  us 
by  Heaven  in  his  birth,  and  that  his  life  may  be 
devoted  to  the  welfare  of  France  and  the  glory  of 
our  holy  religion." 

After  this  discourse,  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux  and 
Madenfioiselle  his  sister,  "  whose  graces  had  been 
much  noticed  by  the  public  during  the  ceremony," 
said  the  next  day's  Quotidienne^  were  taken  back  to 
the  palace  with  a  sjDecial  cortege  composed  of  the 
Duchess  of  Berry's  three  carriages.  A  half-squadron 
of  light  cavalry  rode  in  front;  eight  of  Monsieur's 
body-guards  and  a  brigadier  preceded  the  carriage  of 
the  Prince,  at  the  right  door  of  which  was  stationed 
a  commanding  officer  of  a  detachment  of  the  royal 
guard,  and  an  officer  of  Monsieur's  guard,  and  at  the 
left  door  another  officer  of  the  same  guards ;  behind 
the  carriage  came  a  squadron  of  body-guards  and  a 
half-squadron  of  the  royal  guards. 

During  this  return,  the  governess  of  the  children  of 
France  experienced  another  vivid  emotion.     "Mon- 


246  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BERBY 

seigneur  was  asleep  on  my  lap  on  the  way,"  says  she. 
^'  On  re-entering  the  quays  in  the  court  of  the  Tui- 
leries,  the  officer  of  the  guards  being  unable  to  pass 
under  the  wicket  at  the  same  time  as  the  carriage 
without  danger  of  being  crushed,  I  had  placed  myself 
(as  was  my  habit)  in  the  middle  of  the  carriage  win- 
dow, so  as  to  preserve  Monseigneur  from  injury,  when 
I  received  a  blow  on  my  shoulder  which  made  me 
jump ;  I  put  my  hand  to  it,  and  saw  a  stain  of  blood 
on  my  glove.  Delighted  to  have  saved  Monseigneur 
by  my  precaution,  I  said  loftily,  '  I  am  wounded ;  he 
is  saved.'  And  I  added,  laughing,  '  I  shall  have  the 
cross  of  Saint  Louis ;  that  is  the  object  of  my  ambi- 
tion.' 

"  On  alighting  at  the  Pavilion  of  Marsan,  I  had  a 
search  made  for  the  thing  that  had  struck  me ;  an 
unsigned  petition  was  found  written  on  a  piece  of 
parchment  twisted  into  the  form  of  a  cornet,  at  the 
end  of  which  was  a  very  small  and  sharply  pointed 
bit  of  iron ;  the  woman  who  threw  it  had  been  seen ; 
but  this  method  of  presenting  petitions  being  known, 
no  attention  had  been  paid  to  it." 

To  sum  up,  everything  had  passed  off  to  the  entire 
satisfaction  of  the  royal  family.  In  the  morning,  a 
deputation  of  charcoal-men  and  market  porters  had 
laid  at  the  base  of  the  statue  of  Henri  IV.  on  the 
Pont-Neuf,  a  tablet  with  this  inscription :  "  French- 
men, love  my  grandson  as  I  have  loved  your  fathers. 
—  Jeanne  d'Albret,  1553  —  Caroline,  1820."  Fire- 
works were  displayed  during  the  evening,  the  whole 


THE  BAPTISM  OF  THE  DUKE  OF  BORDEAUX     247 

city  was  illuminated,  and  bands  went  through  the 
streets  with  white  flags,  greeted  by  cries  of  "Long 
live  the  King !  long  live  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux  !  " 

A  grand  fete  was  given  at  the  H6tel  de  Ville  by 
the  municipal  council  the  following  day.  May  2.  M. 
de  Chabrol,  prefect  of  the  Seine,  said,  while  regret- 
ting the  King's  absence:  "August  monarch,  cherished 
father,  the  eager  crowd  looks  on  every  side  for  your 
venerated  features ;  it  offers  you  its  benedictions  and 
its  transports."  Monsieur  exclaimed  with  emotion: 
"  For  my  part,  a  Frenchman  and  the  son  of  a  French- 
man, born  of  a  family  altogether  French,  what  is  not 
my  happiness  to  find  myself  thus  in  the  midst  of  my 
compatriots.  And  how  can  my  prayers  be  for  aught 
except  their  happiness  ?  Be  assured,  gentlemen,  that 
my  family  and  I  will  always  labor  for  it  with  all  our 
hearts."  The  banquet  of  the  princes  and  princesses 
was  served  in  the  hall  of  Saint  John.  Twelve  dames 
designated  by  the  King  from  different  classes  of  the 
citizens  sat  down  at  it.  After  the  repast,  the  guests 
passed  on  into  the  hall  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  where  an 
interlude  called  Les  Arts  rivaux  was  performed,  the 
words  of  which  were  by  M.  Alissan  de  Chazet  and 
the  music  by  Berton  and  Boieldieu.  After  this  inter- 
lude, executed  by  artists  from  the  Op^ra-Comique,  a 
curtain  was  lifted  and  an  allegoric  transparency 
exposed,  which  represented  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux, 
lying  as  in  a  cradle,  in  the  vessel  of  the  arms  of  Paris, 
Fluctuate  nee  mergitur.  "  How  like  it  is  !  "  cried  the 
Duchess  of   Berry,  joyfully,  and   then   she   showed 


248  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEREY 

Madame  de  Chabrol  a  bracelet  containing  a  portrait 
of  the  little  Prince,  so  that  she  might  judge  of  the 
merits  of  the  likeness.  Daring  this  time  a  romance 
entitled  "  God  gave  him,"  was  sung  by  the  tenor 
Ponchard,  accompanied  by  the  violinist  Lafon. 

The  Princess  afterwards  looked  with  great  pleasure 
at  two  transparencies  by  Ciceri,  one  of  which  repre- 
sented a  view  of  Palermo,  and  the  other  her  triumph- 
ant arrival  at  Marseilles  in  1816.  The  artists  of  the 
Op^ra  and  the  Opera-Comique  joined  their  forces  to 
execute  in  the  Throne-room  a  cantata  the  words  of 
which  were  composed  by  Baour-Lormian  and  the 
music  by  Cherubini.  The  princes  and  princesses 
then  repaired  to  the  large  ballroom  which  had  been 
constructed  in  the  court  of  the  H6tel  de  Ville ;  it  rose 
to  the  height  of  the  first  story  and  connected  with 
the  other  apartments.  Six  hundred  women  were  sit- 
ting on  benches  which  had  been  arranged  in  the  form 
of  an  amphitheatre.  The  men  were  ranged  behind 
them.  The  decorations  consisted  of  arcades  of  mir- 
rors enshrined  in  garlands  of  flowers.  The  middle  of 
the  hall  was  entirely  empty.  The  princes  and  prin- 
cesses promenaded  there,  the  assembly  standing 
meanwhile  and  applauding  them  enthusiastically. 
Then  the  ball  opened,  and  was  kept  up  until  seven 
o'clock  in  the  morning.  Five  thousand  persons  had 
been  spectators  of  this  admirably  organized  entertain- 
ment. 

The  following  day,  May  3,  there  were  popular 
balls  and  other  amusements  to  celebrate  the  seventh 


THE  BAPTISM  OF  THE  DUKE  OF  BOBBEAUX     249 

anniversary  of  the  King's  re-entry  into  Paris.  May  6, 
the  general  and  supreme  officers  of  the  royal  guard 
and  the  body-guards,  the  ordinary  foot-guards  of  the 
King  and  those  of  Monsieur,  gave  a  fete  to  the 
princes  in  the  Oddon  theatre.  This  was  not  organ- 
ized without  some  difficulty ;  for  there  is  a  limit  to 
the  enthusiasm  for  princes,  especially  when  the  ques- 
tion of  expense  arises.  Consider,  on  this  head,  the 
avowals  made  by  Marshal  Marmont,  Duke  of  Ragusa, 
who  says  in  his  Memoirs :  "  It  was  in  good  taste  for 
the  guard,  which  had  been  loaded  with  benefits  by 
the  King,  to  celebrate  the  immense  happiness  of  the 
royal  family  with  brilliancy  and  splendor.  Being  on 
duty,  I  advanced  that  opinion.  The  generals  and 
other  officers  did  not  take  to  it  kindly.  A  mean 
parsimony  stood  in  its  way.  I  overruled  these  con- 
siderations and  ordered  the  fete  at  their  expense. 
But  I  had  calculated  so  that  the  sum  should  not 
exceed  their  means.  The  King  promised  me  to  pay 
half  the  expense  in  his  capacity  as  colonel-general  of 
the  guard.  The  King's  household  joined  us,  and  one 
day's  pay  was  all  that  was  required  to  provide  for  all 
the  rest.  The  hall  of  the  Od^on  was  selected.  Four 
thousand  persons  assembled  there.  A  play  written 
for  the  occasion  in  the  first  place,  afterwards  an 
admirable  cantata,  Dieu  Va  donne !  and  a  magnifi- 
cent ball,  followed  by  an  excellent  and  abundant 
supper,  composed  this  entertainment,  which  suc- 
ceeded as  well  as  could  be  desired."  A  military 
character  had  been  given  it.     The  front  of  the  boxes 


260  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBBY 

was  hung  with  silver  gauze  sown  with  the  crosses  of 
Saint  Louis  and  of  the  Legion  of  Honor.  Weapons 
and  flags  were  displayed  on  all  sides.  The  arrivals  of 
Monsieur,  the  Duchess  of  Berry,  and  the  Duke  and 
Duchess  of  Angouleme  were  greeted  by  noisy  bursts 
of  music. 

There  were  theatricals  at  court  on  the  1st,  the  4th, 
and  the  5th  of  May.  May  5th !  Napoleon  died  on 
the  rock  of  Saint  Helena  that  day.  The  news  did 
not  reach  Paris  until  early  in  July.  The  court  of 
France  had  the  good  taste  not  to  rejoice  publicly 
over  it.  One  of  the  Emperor's  former  aides-de-camp. 
General  Count  Rapp,  was  on  duty  at  the  time  as  first 
chamberlain  and  master  of  the  wardrobe  to  Louis 
XVIIL,  and  in  that  capacity  he  was  on  his  way  to 
breakfast  with  the  King  when  he  was  informed  of 
the  news.  At  first  he  refused  to  believe  it;  but 
when  doubt  could  no  longer  be  entertained,  he  was 
unable  to  restrain  his  tears,  and  retired,  saying  that 
he  could  not  be  unmoved  by  the  death  of  him  to 
whom  he  had  been  attached  for  fifteen  years,  as  he 
was  not  an  ingrate.  As  the  general  did  not  break- 
fast at  the  royal  table,  Louis  XVIIL  had  him  sum- 
moned after  Mass. 

"  I  know,"  he  said  to  him,  "  that  the  news  I  have 
received  has  afflicted  you  deeply.  That  does  honor  to 
your  heart ;  I  love  and  esteem  you  all  the  more  for  it.'* 

"  Sire,"  replied  General  Rapp,  "  I  owe  everything 
to  Napoleon,  and  above  all,  the  esteem  and  kindness 
of  Your  Majesty." 


THE  BAPTISM  OF  THE  DUKE  OF  BOBBEAUX     251 

Thenceforward  the  Bourbon  monarchy  believed 
itself  invulnerable.  The  Duchess  of  Berry  had 
taken  in  serious  earnest  a  present  from  the  city  of 
Bordeaux  —  the  faithful  city,  as  it  was  then  called 
—  which  had  offered  her  a  counterpane  representing 
not  merely  the  Child  of  Miracle,  but  the  Archangel 
Michael  overthrowing  the  Evil  One.  The  most 
ardent  revolutionists  were  discouraged.  The  recent 
conspiracies  were  forgotten.  No  further  thought 
was  given  to  the  seething  agitations  in  Spain  and 
Italy. 

If  one  desires  an  idea  of  the  pitch  to  which  lauda- 
tion had  risen,  he  should  re-read  the  ode  composed 
by  Victor  Hugo  in  May,  1821,  to  celebrate  the  bap- 
tism of  the  Prince.     We  quote  several  stanzas :  — 

"  Peoples,  doubt  not !     Chant  your  victory, 
A  saviour  is  born,  vested  with  power  and  glory. 
The  sceptre  and  the  sword  he  binds  together. 
Days  of  prosperity  shall  rise  from  the  lessons  of  misfortune, 

For  the  uncoffined  shades  of  sixty  Kings, 
His  fathers,  watch  above  his  cradle. 

"  Let  all  tremble  and  be  abashed  I 
Mortal  pride  speaks  in  vain  ; 
The  royal  lion  bends  beneath 
The  yoke  of  the  Divine  Lamb. 
The  father,  encircled  by  stars, 
Toward  the  feeble  and  unveiled  child 
Descends,  borne  upon  the  winds. 
The  Holy  Ghost  bathes  him  in  fire. 
He  is  born  into  the  world 
But  to  be  born  again  into  eternity! 


252  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BERRY 

**  Marie  of  the  modest  halo, 
Happy  and  ever  praymg, 
Guides  the  celestial  virgins 
Toward  her  ancient  temple  of  two  towers. 
All  the  heavenly  hosts, 
Dispread  among  the  stars, 
Follow  her  triumphal  car. 
Charity  goes  before  them ; 
Faith  shines,  and  holy  Hope 
Sits  near  the  humble  child." 

And  yet,  at  the  close  of  this  triumphal  hymn,  of 
this  resounding  canticle  of  thanksgiving,  there  comes 
a  melancholy  note,  as  if  the  poet  had  had  the  gift  of 
prophecy :  — 

"  I  go,  0  Muse,  whither  thou  sendest  me. 

I  know  only  how  to  shed  tears ! 

But  may  this  lute,  faithful  to  their  woes, 

Be  faithful  also  to  their  joys. 

My  voice  has  not  learned 

From  their  recent  history 

How  to  praise  the  Lord 

In  the  accents  of  victory. 

O  Kings,  crowned  victims, 

When  one  sings  your  destinies 

He  little  knows  how  to  sing  of  happiness." 

At  this  same  period  B^ranger  bethought  himself 
of  another  baptism,  which  had  also  been  celebrated 
at  Notre  Dame,  —  that  of  June  7,  .1811,  —  and  he 
composed  his  famous  chanson,  "The  Two  Cousins, 
or.  a  letter  from  a  little  King  to  a  little  Duke."  The 
little  King  was  the  King  of  Rome ;  the  little  Duke, 
the  Duke  of  Bordeaux  :  — 


THE  BAPTISM  OF  THE  DUKE  OF  BORDEAUX     253 

"  Hail !  little  cousin  german  ; 
From  a  land  of  exile  I  dare  write  you ; 
Fortune  extends  her  hand  to  you. 
Your  birthday  makes  her  smile. 
My  first  day  was  fine  also, 
As  every  Frenchman  will  agree ; 
Kings  adored  me  in  my  cradle, 
And  yet  I  am  at  Vienna.  .  .  . 

"  If  you  grow  up  near  the  throne, 
If  I  vegetate  without  power. 
Confound  those  cursed  courtiers 
By  reminding  them  of  my  birth. 
Tell  them :  —  *  I  may  have  my  turn. 
Kemember  my  cousin  ! 
You  promised  him  your  love, 
And  yet  he  is  at  Vienna.'  " 

In  1821  the  Duchess  of  Berry  did  not  believe  that 
her  son  likewise  would  go  to  Vienna.  She  banished 
all  dark  forebodings  and  thanked  God  from  the  bot- 
tom of  her  heart.  Some  days  after  the  baptism  of 
the  Duke  of  Bordeaux,  she  made  a  pilgrimage  of 
thanksgiving  to  the  shrine  of  Our  Lady  of  Liesse. 
A  letter,  addressed  to  the  Baron  of  Frdmilly,  by  the 
Marquis  of  Montreton,  which  has  been  communicated 
to  us  by  the  Marquis  of  Pimodan,  gives  certain  details 
on  this  subject  which  delineate  extremely  well  the 
spirit  of  the  tijne  :  — 

"This  Saturday,  May  26,  1821.  — I  promised  you, 
my  dear,  an  account  of  Madame  the  Duchess  of 
Berry's  pilgrimage,  and  I  hasten  to  keep  my  word. 
On  Tuesday,  Madame  arrived  at  Laon,  where  all  the 


254  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEREY 

people  of  the  environs  were  assembled'.  The  whole 
city  was  hung  with  white  flags,  and  she  was  greeted 
with  repeated  cries  of  '  Long  live  the  King !  Long 
live  the  Duchess  of  Berry!  Long  live  the  Bour- 
bons ! '  The  prefect,  the  officer  of  the  regiment  of 
Berry  cuirassiers,  and  the  authorities  received  the 
Princess  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain.  There  she  got 
into  an  open  carriage.  The  entire  road  was  lined 
with  people.  The  mountain,  covered  with  men  and 
women,  was  an  admirable  sight.  She  viewed  the 
regiment  and  then  went  to  the  prefecture,  where  all 
the  ladies  of  the  city  were  presented  to  her.  A  com- 
mercial deputation  from  Saint  Quentin  offered  her 
cambrics,  dresses,  and  other  products  of  the  industries 
of  that  town.  The  Princess  went  on  her  way  again 
after  having  visited  the  cathedral  and  prayed  there. 
.  .  .  Nothing  has  been  more  affecting  than  Tuesday's 
journey.  The  Princess  reached  Liesse  at  seven 
o'clock,  and  went  at  once  to  the  parish  church  to 
hear  Mass  and  receive  Communion.  Twenty  young 
girls  performed  the  same  duty.  Madame  was  dressed 
in  a  simple  white  robe,  with  a  veil  on  her  head. 
After  her  Communion  the  Princess  kneeled  down 
again  on  her  prie-Dieu,  which  was  placed  in  the 
middle  of  the  choir  of  the  church.  There  the  memory 
of  her  eternal  sorrow  again  assailed  her,  and  her  tears 
flowed  freely.  All  who  were  in  the  church  were  as 
deeply  moved  as  she.  I  saw  some  of  the  cuirassiers 
wiping  away  the  tears  they  could  not  keep  back. 
This  spectacle  of  a  young  princess,  widowed  by  an 


THE  BAPTISM  OF  THE  DUKE  OF  BORDEAUX     255 

atrocious  crime,  weeping  at  the  foot  of  the  altar  for 
the  object  of  her  affection,  thanking  Heaven  for  the 
consolation  it  had  given  her,  and  imploring  for  her 
son  the  protection  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  was  the 
most  imposing  and  the  most  affecting  that  can  be 
conceived." 

Two  days  later,  the  Duchess  of  Berry  visited 
the  mirror  manufactory,  where  a  workman  made  a 
play  on  words  to  her  which  had  a  great  success: 
"  Madame,  everything  is  ice  \_glace^  meaning  in 
French  both  "  ice  "  and  "  mirror  "  ]  here,  except  our 
hearts."  The  Marquis  of  Montreton  ends  his  letter 
thus :  — 

"  This  four  days'  journey  has  convinced  me  more 
than  ever  that  the  mass  of  the  people  are  royalists, 
and  that  the  Bourbons  need  only  to  show  themselves, 
in  order  to  win  all  hearts.  You  are  right  in  think- 
ing that  the  Princess  has  given  abundant  alms  on 
this  sacred  journey.  She  has  been  as  amiable  as 
possible  to  all  who  have  had  the  honor  to  approach 
her.  The  National  Guard  of  Laon,  both  foot  and 
horse,  who  were  on  duty  about  her  person,  are 
enchanted,  and  from  being  lukewarm,  as  they  were, 
I  believe,  on  my  word,  they  have  become  ultra." 


XXVII 

THE  COUNTESS   OP  CAYLA 

ALTHOUGH  not  affectionate  by  nature,  Louis 
XVIII.  had  need  of  a  special  kind  of  affec- 
tion. He  must  have  near  him  a  person  in  whom  he 
had  absolute  trust,  who  saw  him  at  any  moment, 
who  received  all  his  confidences,  all  his  secrets,  and 
with  whom  he  could  think  aloud.  This  friendship 
of  a  particular  kind  did  not  last  indefinitely,  but,  so 
long  as  it  did  last,  it  possessed  an  exclusive  char- 
acter which  made  it  a  veritable  passion.  Any  attack 
on  the  object  of  this  favoritism  was  like  high  treason 
in  the  eyes  of  the  King,  and  the  greater  were  the 
jealousies  excited  by  the  person  thus  preferred,  the 
more  did  the  monarch  please  himself  by  heaping  up 
and  overwhelming  him  with  favors.  In  aggrandiz- 
ing him,  he  thought  he  aggrandized  himself,  and  he 
identified  himself  with  the  object  of  his  choice. 
Unable  to  hunt,  and  incapable  of  many  pleasures, 
nailed  to  his  armchair  by  sufferings,  he  had  no 
resource  but  this  impassioned  friendship  into  which 
he  cast  all  he  possessed  of  mind  and  heart.  It  was 
thus  that  he  loved,  one  after  the  other,  the  Countess 
of  Balbi,  the  Count  of  Avaray  during  the  emigration, 

256 


THE  COUNTESS   OF  CAYLA  257 

the  Duke  Decazes  from  1816  to  1820,  and  the  Coun- 
tess of  Cayla  from  1820  till  his  latest  hour. 

M.  Decazes  was  still  in  high  favor  when  he  intro- 
duced to  Louis  XVIII.  the  woman  who  was  to 
replace  him  in  the  monarch's  favor.  Zoe  Victoire 
Talon,  Countess  of  Cayla,  was  born  in  1784.  Her 
father,  who  belonged  to  an  ancient  family  of  advo- 
cates, had  taken  part  in  the  struggle  between  the 
court  and  the  Revolution  from  1789  to  1792,  and 
was  mixed  up,  so  it  was  said,  with  the  policy  of  the 
Count  of  Provence.  At  the  time  when  the  unfortu- 
nate Marquis  of  Favras  was  condemned  to  death, 
without  having  revealed  anything  concerning  his- 
real  or  supposed  relations  with  the  brother  of  Louia 
XVI.,  M.  Talon,  it  was  also  said,  had  received  the 
compromising  confidences  of  the  condemned  man, 
and  a  packet  of  documents  inculpating  the  Count  of 
Provence.  During  the  emigration  of  her  father, 
Zoe  Talon  had  remained  in  France.  She  had  been 
educated  there  by  Madame  Campan,  and  had 
profited  by  that  elegant  education  which  Lamartine 
has  called  a  school  of  feminine  diplomacy.  She  was 
intimate  with  Hor tense  de  Beauharnais  and  the 
brilliant  young  persons  who  were  the  fashionable 
women  of  the  Consulate  and  the  Empire.  Pretty, 
amiable,  and  intelligent,  she  possessed  all  that  could 
make  her  pleasing. 

She  was  married  to  a  man  of  high  birth,  belonging 
to  the  little  court  of  the  Cond^s,  Count  du  Cayla, 
who  became  a  peer  of  France  in  1815.     This  union 


258  TEE  DUCHESS   OF  BERRY 

was  not  a  happy  one,  and  the  pair  separated  on 
the  ground  of  incompatibility  of  temper.  But  the 
Countess  was  skilful  enough  to  secure  the  sympathy 
of  the  Condes  and  that  of  her  mother-in-law,  who 
had  belonged  to  the  household  of  Madame  the 
Countess  of  Provence,  wife  of  Louis  XVIII. 

The  dowager  Countess  of  Cayla  was  altogether  on 
the  side  of  her  daughter-in-law.  Before  dying,  she 
sent  her  a  letter,  which,  in  case  of  necessity,  would 
become  a  talisman.  She  addressed  it  to  the  King, 
whom  she  had  always  found  full  of  good  will  toward 
her,  and  in  words  which  her  approaching  death  ren- 
dered solemn  and  affecting,  she  supplicated  the  mon- 
arch to  protect  her  son's  wife  against  the  resentment 
of  her  son. 

The  dowager  Countess  was  already  dead  when  her 
daughter-in-law  was  obliged  to  make  use  of  this 
precious  letter.  Her  husband  brought  suits  to  force 
her  to  live  with  him  again,  or,  failing  that,  to  take 
their  children  from  under  her  care  (a  son  who  had 
not  attained  to  manhood,  and  a  daughter  who  became 
the  Princess  of  Craon).  The  unhappy  Countess 
thought  of  escape,  of  leaving  the  country,  of  hiding 
herself,  when  the  idea  of  throwing  herself  at  the 
King's  feet  as  a  suppliant  occurred  to  her.  The 
Prince  of  Conde  himself  conducted  her  to  the  door 
of  the  Tuileries. 

At  the  same  time,  the  ultra-royalist  party,  which 
detested  M.  Decazes,  and  wanted  to  inaugurate  a 
reactionist  policy  at  any  cost,  conceived  the  scheme 


THE  COUNTESS   OF  CAYLA  259 

of  utilizing  the  beautiful  Countess  in  order  to  gain 
influence  over  the  mind  of  Louis  XVIII.  Many 
persons  renowned  for  their  piety  and  gravity  entered 
into  this  sort  of  conspiracy.  One  of  the  best  and 
oldest  friends  of  the  Countess,  Viscount  Sosthdne 
de  La  Rochefoucauld,  boasts  in  his  Memoirs  of  hav- 
ing overcome,  and  not  without  difficulty,  the  resist- 
ance she  herself  offered  to  this  project. 

Lamartine,  accustomed  to  see  things  in  rose  color, 
and  very  favorable  to  the  attractive  Countess,  has 
written :  — 

"Madame  du  Cayla's  letters  to  the  Viscount  La 
Rochefoucauld,  tender  and  pious  at  the  same  time, 
like  all  feminine  confidences,  nevertheless  attest  by 
their  clear  notions  concerning  the  events  of  the  day, 
a  power  of  reflection  and  a  breadth  of  judgment 
which  would  not  have  been  surprising  in  a  S^vign^ 
or  an  Orsini  princess.  These  letters,  many  of  which 
have  since  been  published,  doubtless  suggested,  either 
to  M.  de  La  Rochefoucauld  or  his  set,  the  first  notion 
of  that  plan  of  alluring  influence  which  it  was  sought 
to  exercise  over  the  eyes,  the  mind,  and  the  heart  of 
the  King.  An  Esther,  as  Madame  du  Cayla  herself 
said  sportively,  was  necessary  to  this  Ahasuerus." 

The  get-up  of  the  presentation  was  planned  in 
the  most  skilful  manner.  The  beautiful  Countess 
appeared  as  a  suppliant.  She  was  a  persecuted 
woman  who  needed  a  defender.  She  was  a  weeping 
mother  who  desired  to  keep  her  children.  She  had 
all  the  charm  of  emotion  and  of  grief.     Her  gentle 


260  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBBT 

eyes  swam  in  tears.  She  brought  the  letter  of  a 
dead  woman,  her  mother-in-law,  who  from  the 
depths  of  the  tomb  pleaded  her  cause  with  the 
King.  Louis  XVIII.  found  himself  affected,  fasci- 
nated. The  imagination  of  this  old  man  retained 
a  juvenile  freshness.  M.  de  Vitrolles  relates  that 
when  the  suppliant  came  to  say  that  her  husband 
wanted  to  take  away  her  children,  Louis  XVIII. 
exclaimed,  alluding  to  the  incessant  efforts  made  to 
remoye  his  dear  minister,  M.  Decazes :  "  Me  too, 
Madame ;  they  want  to  take  away  my  child !  "  Spite 
of  her  perspicacity,  Madame  du  Cayla  did  not  at  once 
understand  the  King's  meaning,  and  supposed  he 
alluded  to  some  plot  against  the  life  of  the  Duke  of 
Angoul^me.  But  Louis  XVIII.  explained  himself 
more  clearly,  and  the  clever  Countess  took  good  care 
to  speak  deferentially  of  the  child  she  was  about  to 
supersede  in  the  royal  favor.  From  that  moment 
her  cause  was  gained.  The  beautiful  solicitress 
obtained  the  favor  that  her  children  should  be  put 
out  of  her  husband's  reach,  and  the  Minister  of  Police 
received  orders  to  conceal  them  from  all  eyes. 

Louis  XVIII.  fell  in  love  ...  as  much  in  love  as 
was  possible  for  him.  To  credit  M.  de  Lamartine,  "  the 
King's  sentiment  for  this  attractive  woman  had  from 
the  first  the  character  of  a  love  which  hides  from 
itself,  under  the  name  of  friendship,  what  the  age  of 
the  King  and  the  reserve  of  the  woman  did  not  per- 
mit to  be  avowed ;  he  felt  an  affection  for  her  which 
he  styled  paternal,  and  he  called  her  his  daughter, 


THE  COUNTESS  OF  CAYLA  261 

not  daring,  through  respect  for  himself  and  respect 
for  her,  to  call  her  by  any  other  name."  What  is 
certain  is,  that  the  sympathy  of  Louis  XVIII.  for  the 
Countess  was  soon  transformed  into  a  real  infatua- 
tion. Far  from  ostentatiously  displaying  itself,  the 
new  favoritism  began  timidly  at  first;  except  the 
ushers  and  a  few  courtiers  more  familiar  than  the 
others,  no  one  was  informed  of  it;  the  Ministers 
themselves  knew  nothing  about  it.  Little  by  little 
the  thing  got  about  at  court.  Two  or  three  audiences 
a  week,  at  certain  days  and  hours,  no  longer  sufficed 
the  eagerness  of  the  King.  He  began  to  write  fre- 
quently to  Madame  du  Cayla,  then  every  day,  then 
several  times  a  day.  He  spoke  of  everything  to  her, 
consulted  her  on  everything.  M.  Decazes  was  for- 
gotten. 

The  ultra-royalists  were  in  ecstasies  over  this 
result.  The  Abbe  Liautard,  adviser  to  the  Countess, 
has  written :  "  One  can  understand  without  difficulty 
what  care  and  minute  attentions  were  necessary  in 
order  to  despoil  the  King  of  his  own  ideas,  to  make 
over,  so  to  say,  his  brains,  his  memory,  all  his  faculties 
and  all  his  affections."  And  the  Viscount  Sosth^ne 
de  la  Rochefoucauld  exclaims  in  his  Memoirs :  — 

"  It  was  necessary  to  combat  a  faction  as  active  as 
it  was  perfidious,  to  change  the  thoughts  and  feel- 
ings of  the  King,  and  to  wrest  him  from  the  always 
dangerous  influence  of  M.  Decazes.  ...  It  was  a 
contest  between  the  angel  of  good  and  the  spirit  of 
evil." 


262  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBBY 

Louis  XVIII.  finally  put  his  Ministers  on  the  alert 
by  requesting  them  not  to  attempt  to  transact  busi- 
ness with  him  at  certain  hours  which  he  named,  and 
which  were  precisely  those  of  his  interviews  with  his 
new  friend.  Madame  du  (Jayla  became  a  political 
woman.  M.  Ernest  Daudet  says  in  his  excellent 
Histoire  de  la  Restauration :  — 

"  When  Madame  du  Cayla  wrote  or  spoke  to  Louis 
XVIII.  it  was  the  extreme  Right  that  expressed  itself 
by  her  mouth  or  held  her  pen.  The  more  and  more 
decided  inclination  manifested  by  the  King  toward 
this  young  woman,  caused  the  f avor^  she  enjoyed  to 
be  a  force  for  her  friends,  and  her  influence  became 
so  powerful  that  we  shall  soon  see  the  austere  and 
serious  Vill^le  obliged  to  reckon  with  her,  or,  rather, 
with  the  political  personages  whose  inspirations  she 
received  and  whose  counsels  she  followed."  M. 
Ernest  Daudet  adds  this  reflection :  — 

"  When  one  studies  the  great  events  of  history  and 
goes  back  to  their  beginnings,  it  is  not  a  rare  thing 
to  find  apparently  futile  causes,  which,  notwithstand- 
ing their  futility,  the  historian  cannot  leave  in  their 
obscurity.  It  is  on  this  account  that  it  is  necessary 
in  passing  to  outline  this  favorite,  who  had  nothing  in 
common  with  her  predecessors,  who  was  simply  an 
agreeable  intellectual  pastime  for  the  infirm  monarch, 
but  whose  action  was  more  than  once  exercised  in 
politics  during  the  last  years  of  his  reign." 

The  court  was  concerned  about  Madame  du  Cayla, 
but   the  public  hardly  considered  her.     As  M.  de 


THE  COUNTESS   OF  CAYLA  263 

Vitrolles  has  remarked:  "  Kings  have  lost  the  prestige 
which  once  lent  all  their  actions  the  interest  of  pub- 
lic events.  Moreover,  the  age  of  Louis  XVIII. 
forbade  all  suspicion  of  commonplace  gallantry." 
Nevertheless,  M.  de  Vitrolles  adds  that  there  was 
some  jesting  on  the  subject  among  the  courtiers  at 
the  Tuileries.  He  says :  "  It  seems  she  was  very 
reserved  about  accepting  his  gifts,  and  her  fortune 
was  so  modest  that  her  disinterestedness  was  all  the 
more  creditable.  We  are  assured  that  in  the  begin- 
ning of  their  relations  he  offered  her  a  roll  containing 
one  hundred  banknotes  of  a  thousand  francs  each,  but 
was  never  able  to  induce  her  to  accept  them.  He 
did  better  than  that  in  the  long  run." 

The  high  favor  enjoyed  by  Madame  du  Cayla  was 
soon  an  open  secret.  Louis  XVIII.  had  bought  the 
park  of  Saint  Ouen.  He  had  a  fine  residence  built 
there,  and  it  was  generally  supposed  that  he  intended 
to  present  it  to  the  Duchess  of  Angouleme.  Sud- 
denly it  became  known  that  the  Countess  of  Cayla 
was  to  be  its  owner.  He  thought  that  after  his  death 
the  beautiful  eyes  of  the  Countess  could  be  continu- 
ally turned  from  its  windows  toward  the  church  of 
Saint  Denis,  where  he  would  be  buried,  and  this 
melancholy  idea  had  for  him  a  sad  and  nameless 
charm.  On  the  other  hand,  Saint  Ouen,  where  he 
had  promulgated  the  liberal  Declaration  of  1814, 
reminded  him  of  what  he  considered  the  best  monu- 
ment of  his  wisdom,  and  it  pleased  him  to  adorn  him- 
self, in  the  eyes  of  his  favorite,  with  the  most  glorious 


264  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBRY 

souvenir  of  his  reign.  He  personally  supervised  even 
the  least  details  of  the  construction  and  furnishing  of 
the  elegant  residence  by  which  he  Avas  to  pay  homage 
to  his  fair  friend.  Gerard  had  painted  a  magnificent 
portrait  of  him.  This  masterpiece  was  hung  in  the 
grand  salon.  Opposite  to  it  the  King  caused  a  large 
slab  of  marble  to  be  placed,  with  the  following 
inscription  in  letters  of  gold:  "  Here  began  a  new  era, 
May  2,  1814."  It  was  the  date  of  the  Dedication  of 
Saint  Ouen.  "  Everything  was  choice  and  perfect," 
says  the  Baron  of  Vitrolles.  "  Nothing  was  lacking 
but  a  dedication.  I  should  have  liked  to  put  this 
verse  from  Athalie  over  the  entrance  wicket :  — 

" '  I  have  built  her  a  temple  and  taken  pains  to  adorn  it.' 

"But  I  was  far  from  being  in  such  favor  as  would 
have  permitted  me  to  suggest  it." 

Like  almost  all  women  who  have  concerned  them- 
selves in  politics,  the  Countess  of  Cayla  has  been  the 
object  of  the  most  widely  diverse  criticism.  Marshal 
Marmont  has  aimed  a  violent  and  insulting  remark 
against  her  in  his  Memoirs.  B^ranger  also  attacked 
her  in  1823,  in  his  cruel  ballad,  Octavie.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  favorite  has  been  exalted  by  the  Vis- 
count Sosth^ne  de  La  Rochefoucauld,  and  by  M.  de 
Lamartine.  The  Count  of  Artois  made  her  promise 
"not  to  mind  the  things  that  might  be  said  against 
her  by  spite  and  folly,  and  to  rest  peacefully  in  the 
noble  use  she  made  of  the  confidence  and  affection 
of  the  King."     It  is  thus  that,  accordingly  as  party 


THE  COUNTESS   OF  CAYLA  265 

spirit  moved  them,  this  woman  seemed  to  s"ome  eyes 
an  intriguer,  a  selfish  person,  a  guilty  favorite ;  and 
to  others,  a  pious  Esther,  a  subject  of  edification,  a 
friend  of  the  Church,  and  a  protectress  of  the  good 
cause. 


XXVIII 


THE  END   OF  THE  KEIGN 


THE  favor  enjoyed  by  the  Countess  of  Cayla  did 
not  cast  the  Duchess  of  Berry  into  the  shade. 
The  Countess,  who  resembled  the  favorites  of  Louis 
XIV.  no  more  than  Louis  XVIII.  resembled  the  Sun- 
King,  took  good  care  not  to  put  on  airs  of  triumph, 
and  did  not  even  appear  at  the  receptions  of  the  Tui- 
leries  and  Saint  Cloud.  The  Duchess  Victor  de 
Broglie  wrote,  September  27,  1821 :  — 

"  Madame  d'H^nin  told  me  that  the  King  decidedly 
has  a  passion  for  Madame  du  Cayla ;  he  receives  her  in 
private  three  hours  at  a  time ;  when  he  drives  along 
the  quay,  she  is  at  the  window  of  her  house ;  he  puts 
his  head  out  through  the  door  of  the  carriage  to  look 
lovingly  at  her." 

But  this  favor  remained  in  the  shade;  its  only 
theatre  was  the  cabinet  of  the  King;  it  never  put 
itself  in  evidence  in  the  greater  apartments  of  the 
palace.  The  Duchess  of  Berry,  on  the  other  hand, 
flattered,  venerated,  adored,  shone  in  the  fullest  lustre, 
and  received  homage  which  was  almost  a  cult. 

The  mother  of  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux  did  not  then 
seek  to  dominate ;  she  thought  only  of  pleasing,  and 

266 


THE  END   OF  THE  BEIGN  267 

always  succeeded  in  it.  Whenever  there  was  any 
question  of  her  the  rival  parties  concluded,  as  it 
were,  a  truce  of  God.  There  were  no  calumnies,  no 
slanders,  against  the  amiable  Princess ;  even  the  most 
hostile  pamphlets  may  be  searched  in  vain  for  a  line, 
a  word  of  criticism,  against  her.  Although  living  at 
the  Tuileries  in  the  same  pavilion  with  her  father-in- 
law,  she  took  no  part  whatever  in  the  intrigues  of 
the  palace.  She  occupied  herself  in  the  education 
of  her  children,  the  cultivation  of  the  arts,  private 
entertainments,  always  elegant  and  select,  and  excur- 
sions where  at  every  step  she  received  ovations.  Not 
having  forgotten  the  wish  often  expressed  by  the 
Duke  of  Berry,  that  she  should  preserve  a  taste  for 
study,  she  had  again  summoned  the  professors  indi- 
cated by  her  husband.  Her  aptitude  for  music  was 
admired  by  Paer,  her  instructor.  She  only  needed 
to  hear  an  air  once  in  order  to  retain  it.  The  piano 
and  the  harp,  which  succeeded  each  other,  did  not 
interfere  with  lessons  in  all  other  branches. 

The  journey  she  made  to  Mont-Dore,  early  in  Sep- 
tember, 1821,  delighted  the  young  Princess.  By 
night  the  mountaineers  accompanied  her  with  fire- 
works and  torches.  She  rode  on  horseback  most 
courageously.  She  wore  the  costume  of  an  Auver- 
gnat  peasant  which  she  had  made  for  her.  People 
sang  ballads  in  patois  for  her  and  danced  before  her 
to  the  sounds  of  the  bagpipe.  She  had  a  little  beggar 
brought  up  to  her  apartment  and  amused  herself  with 
his  chatter.  Some  one  wrote  to  the  Moniteur  from 
Mont-Dore :  — 


268  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BEBBT 

"  When  we  saw  the  august  Princess  lightly  scram- 
bling up  the  sharp  peaks  of  our  mountains,  we  remem- 
bered that  she  had  been  born  at  the  foot  of  Vesuvius, 
and  found  still  another  link  between  her  and  our 
B^arnais." 

The  Duchess  of  Berry  at  the  end  of  Louis  XVIII.'s 
reign  was  what  the  Duchess  of  Burgundy  had  been 
in  the  last  years  of  that  of  Louis  XIV. :  the  radiance, 
the  poetry,  the  smile,  of  an  old  and  severe  court.  She 
represented  the  future,  hope,  the  rising  sun.  In  a 
ceremonious,  cold,  and  self-contained  society,  she  was 
the  living  symbol  of  gaiety,  recreation,  and  pleasure. 

The  Duchess  Victor  de  Broglie,  who  saw  the  royal 
family  at  the  end  of  September,  1821,  gave  at  the 
time  the  following  description  of  it :  — 

"  Day  before  yesterday  I  was  at  court,  and  found 
myself  all  alone  amongst  those  old  figures,  which 
rather  frightened  me.  The  King  was  rolled  in  in  his 
armchair.  He  has  a  singular  physiognomy.  In  spite 
of  his  size,  he  has  a  great  deal  of  dignity ;  in  spite  of 
his  round,  red  face,  he  has  the  royal  air.  There  is 
no  sort  of  agreement  between  his  mouth  and  his  eyes ; 
his  smile  is  constant,  but  his  glance  is  so  severe  as  to 
be  hard.  He  is  a  witty  man  after  the  fashion  of  the 
old  regime ;  he  says  characteristic  things,  but  that  is 
all.  Madame  the  Duchess  of  Angoul^me  has  nobility 
without  grace;  she  holds  herself  awkwardly;  her 
voice  sounds  rough;  she  is  badly  dressed,  and  yet  she 
has  dignity.  Her  eyes  are  red,  perhaps  because  she 
has  wept  so  much,  but  that  increases  the  grave  impres- 


THE  END   OF  THE  BEIGN  269 

sion  her  face  produces.  The  Duke  of  Angouleme  is 
ungainly  and  awkward ;  he  is  always  on  the  move, 
and  tries  to  be  facetious,  but  his  intentions  are  more 
kindly  than  those  of  the  others." 

Then  comes  a  portrait  of  the  Duchess  of  Berry, 
whose  attraction  the  Duchess  Victor  de  Broglie 
could  not  fail  to  recognize,  notwithstanding  her 
unfavorable  opinion  of  the  elder  branch  of  the 
Bourbons :  — 

"As  to  the  Duchess  of  Berry,  she  no  longer  looks  at 
all  unhappy ;  but  it  is  difficult  to  conceive  how  greatly 
sorrow  has  developed  her ;  she  is  much  more  grace- 
ful ;  she  is  less  timid.  Although  her  eyes  squint,  they 
are  not  disagreeable ;  her  color  is  beautiful,  and  her 
shoulders  charming ;  although  a  blonde,  there  is  some- 
thing southern  about  her  which  attracts." 

The  Duchess  of  Berry  was  proud  of  her  son,  who 
must,  as  she  thought,  procure  the  welfare  and  glory 
of  France.  She  did  not  consider  the  dove,  bearing 
in  its  beak  an  olive  branch,  which  figured  in  the  ark- 
shaped  cradle  offered  to  the  little  Prince  by  the  city 
of  Bordeaux,  as  an  idle  symbol.  On  her  son's  first 
birthday,  September  29,  1821,  she  received  a  picture 
which  represented  him  as  parting  the  clouds  above  a 
misty  sphere,  and  treading  on  the  serpent  of  discord. 
In  November  of  the  same  year  there  was  talk  of  a 
pretended  conspiracy,  which  was  to  break  out  in  the 
Bois  de  Boulogne  at  the  time  when  the  little  Prince 
and  his  sister  were  taking  their  usual  promenadeo 
The  governess  of  the  children   of   France   did   not 


270  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBBT 

think  it  her  duty  to  countermand  their  promenade. 
When  the  Duchess  of  Berry  was  informed  of  it,  she 
exclaimed,  ''  Madame  de  Gontaut  did  perfectly  right ! 
The  Duke  of  Bordeaux  ought  never  to  flinch  at  any- 
thing, not  even  at  a  year  old." 

Naturally  inclined  to  optimism,  the  Princess  looked 
forward  to  the  future  with  perfect  confidence.  Her 
family  had  just  been  firmly  established  on  the  throne 
of  the  Two  Sicilies.  An  Austrian  army  had  entered 
Naples,  March  23,  1821,  and  King  Ferdinand  had 
resumed  the  exercise  of  absolute  power  there.  On 
the  2d  of  May  following,  a  handful  of  Austrian  sol- 
diers had  extinguished  the  Piedmontese  insurrection. 
The  reaction  was  triumphant  throughout  Italy,  and 
reactionary  politics  were  likewise  going  to  prevail  in 
France. 

The  year  1822  was  troubled  at  first.  Military 
conspiracies,  the  introduction  of  Carbonarism  into 
France,  the  alliance  between  the  Liberals  and  the 
Bonapartists,  the  agitation  in  the  schools,  the  vio- 
lence of  parliamentary  discussions,  the  profound 
emotion  caused  by  the  execution  of  the  four  ser- 
geants of  Rochelle,  all  revealed  a  grave  situation. 
But  the  Right  got  the  ascendency,  and  the  Restora- 
tion seemed  more  solid  than  ever.  "  The  bloody 
holocausts  attained  their  end,"  says  Duke  Victor 
de  Broglie  in  his  Souvenirs;  "there  were  no  more 
plots  when  it  was  well  understood  that  one  risked 
his  head  in  them ;  the  more  recklessness  the  official 
conspirators  had  shown  about  engaging  in  these  fool- 


THE  END   OF  THE  BEIGN  271 

hardy  enterprises,  the  more  haste  they  now  showed 
in  retiring  from  them  or  disavowing  them." 

The  birth  of  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux  had  greatly 
discouraged  the  revolutionary  party.  On  September 
29,  1822,  Count  de  Chabrol,  prefect  of  the  Seine, 
presented  to  the  King  the  medals  which  the  city  of 
Paris  had  caused  to  be  struck  for  the  second  anni- 
versary of  this  celebrated  birth. 

"  Sire,"  said  the  prefect,  "  there  fire  some  memo- 
rable epochs  the  souvenir  of  which  the  city  of  Paris 
likes  to  preserve  in  an  imperishable  manner.  The 
medal  it  has  caused  to  be  struck  for  the  birth  of  the 
Duke  of  Bordeaux  represents  this  noble  city  as  offer- 
ing to  France  the  noble  child  granted  to  our  prayers. 
He  seems  to  have  issued  from  the  bosom  of  the 
grave.  He  comes  to  gladden  royal  Majesty,  to  con- 
sole sorrows,  and  to  pierce  with  a  mild  radiance  the 
funereal  crape  which  covers  our  native  land.  Brought 
up  beside  his  mother,  and  under  the  eyes  of  the  wisest 
monarchs,  this  young  son  of  kings  mil  learn  from 
your  example.  Sire,  the  difficult  art  of  cementing 
the  union  and  founding  the  prosperity  of  a  people. 
Live  long  for  liis  sake !  Live  long  for  the  sake  of 
France." 

Louis  XVIH.  replied :  — 

"I  receive  with  lively  satisfaction  the  expression  of 
the  sentiments  of  my  good  city  of  Paris.  The  day 
whose  anniversary  it  celebrates  was  the  most  fortu- 
nate of  my  life.  Li  France  also  it  began  an  era  of 
happiness.     I  hope  that  we  shall  long  enjoy  it." 


2T2  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BERRY 

The  year  1823,  when  Bourbons  simultaneously 
triumphed  at  Madrid,  Paris,  and  Naples,  and  when 
the  family  compact  seemed  renewed  by  victory,  was 
the  apogee  of  royalty.  Chateaubriand  has  said,  not 
without  some  exaggeration  :  — 

"  My  Spanish  war,  the  great  event  of  my  life,  was 
a  gigantic  enterprise.  Legitimacy  was  for  the  first 
time  to  burn  powder  under  the  white  flag,  to  dis- 
charge its  first  cannon  after  the  artillery  of  the 
Empire,  which  the  latest  posterity  will  hear.  To 
stride  across  the  Spains  at  one  step,  to^  succeed  on 
the  same  soil  where  the  armies  of  a  conqueror  had 
but  lately  met  reverses,  to  do  in  six  months  what  he 
had  not  been  able  to  do  in  seven  years,  who  could 
have  dared  aspire  to  such  a  prodigy?  Yet  that  is 
what  I  did." 

The  success  of  the  war  in  Spain  flattered  the  roy- 
alists all  the  more  because  the  Opposition  had  loudly 
declared  that  such  a  success  was  impossible.  This 
war  had  from  the  first  excited  the  ardent  enthusiasm 
of  the  Right.  What  acclamations,  what  transports, 
had  greeted  Louis  XVIII.  when,  in  opening  the 
session  at  the  Louvre,  in  the  hall  of  the  guards  of 
Henri  IV.,  he  had  said :  "  One  hundred  thousand 
Frenchmen,  commanded  by  a  prince  of  my  family, 
him  whom  my  heart  takes  pleasure  in  styling  my 
son,  are  ready  to  march,  invoking  the  God  of  Saint 
Louis  to  preserve  the  throne  of  Spain  for  a  grandson 
of  Henri  IV.,  ...  I  have  consulted  the  dignity 
of  my  crown  and  the  honor  and  dignity  of  France. 


THE  END   OF  TEE  BEIGN  273 

We  are  Frenchmen,  gentlemen;  we  are   always   of 
one  mind  in  defending  such  interests." 

The  Duchess  Victor  de  Broglie,  always  sarcastic, 
was  present  at  this  session,  which  she  has  thus 
described :  — 

"I  was  surrounded  by  women  who  seemed  very 
much  excited ;  the  hall  had  been  filled  with  people 
belonging  to  the  court. 

"When  the  diplomatic  corps  arrived,  it  was 
remarked  that  the  English  ambassador  was  not 
among  them ;  several  women  near  me  said,  '  Do  you 
see  ?  he  is  not  there ;  he  would  not  come  ! '  Others 
said,  '  We  must  hope  it  is  an  accident.'  There  was 
complete  anarchy  among  all  these  women;  they 
stood  up  on  the  benches,  although  the  ushers 
ordered  them  down;  all  this  seemed  the  image  of 
a  party  at  once  arrogant  and  popular. 
.  "  The  King  was  announced ;  presently  a  great 
noise  was  heard;  it  was  his  armchair  being  rolled 
into  the  hall.  Then  all  the  women  began  trying  to 
shout,  as  if  they  had  been  in  the  street.  .  .  .  The 
King  pretended  to  be  moved  when  he  said  the  Duke 
of  Angouleme  and  one  hundred  thousand  Frenchmen 
were  ready  to  march.  That  was  a  farce ;  but  what 
was  real  was  the  ridiculous  yet  tragical  contrast  of 
that  bowed  head,  half  stricken  with  apoplexy ;  that 
impotent  figure,  dragged  about  in  an  armchair ;  that 
cracked  voice,  which  spoke  of  delivering  battle  and 
imposing  its  laws  on  its  neighbors.  The  shouts 
redoubled  afterwards,  especially  those  of  the  women. 


274  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BERRY 

The  Duchess  of  Berry  was  all  the  time  applauding 
the  King's  discourse.  The  Duchess  of  Angouleme 
said  nothing,  and  was  very  sad." 

The  war  in  Spain  was  a  victorious  walk-over  for 
the  army  of  the  Duke  of  Angouleme.  That  modest 
Prince  might  have  said  like  the  haughty  Coesar, 
"  Veni.,  vidi,  vicir  While  he  was  advancing  to  the 
other  side  of  the  Pyrenees,  his  virtuous  wife  was 
making  a  journey  in  the  west  and  south  of  France, 
which  was  a  series  of  ovations  for  her.  She  left 
Paris  for  Bordeaux,  April  2,  1823,  after  bidding 
an  affectionate  farewell  to  the  children  of  France, 
who  were  dear  to  her.  Bordeaux,  her  favorite  city, 
received  her  as  a  sort  of  divinity.  They  took  the 
horses  from  her  carriage  and  drew  it  themselves. 
Her  bust  was  carried  through  the  streets  to  the 
beating  of  drums.  At  the  Custom  House  she  saw 
that  of  her  husband  under  a  triumphal  arch,  with 
this  inscription :  — 

*'  Spain  welcomed  him;   in  his  turn  he  saves  her." 

At  Montauban,  May  3,  she  learned  that  Saragossa 
was  taken.  She  entered  the  former  city  of  the  Popes 
under  a  triumphal  arch  on  which  this  motto  was 
graven :  — 

"  Avignon  receives  with  transport  the  guardian  angel  of  France." 

The  same  ovations  were  repeated  at  Nimes,  Aix, 
Montpellier,  Cette,  Narbonne,  and  Marseilles.  On 
visiting   at   Pan,    June   27,   the   chamber   in   which 


THE  END   OF  THE  BEIGN  275 

Henri  IV.  was  born,  the  Princess  said:  "It  was 
here  that  Queen  Jeanne  sang  her  little  chanson; 
afterwards,  they  rubbed  the  Prince's  lips  with  garlic, 
and  made  him  drink  Jurangon  wine.  They  did  the 
same  thing  to  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux.  He  is  very 
strong;  he  is  a  very  fine  child,  the  Duke  of  Bor- 
deaux." The  courtiers  claimed  that  the  presence  of 
the  daughter  of  Louis  XVI.  in  the  south  of  France 
was  alone  equivalent  to  an  army  of  observation. 
July  18,  she  arrived  unexpectedly  at  Bagneres-de- 
Luchon,  on  horseback,  by  the  mountain  road.  Then 
she  returned  to  Bordeaux,  and,  before  going  back  to 
Paris,  she  traversed  all  Vendee.  From  one  place 
to  another,  the  old  Venddan  soldiers  had  assembled 
to  greet  her  with  acclamations.  September  18,  she 
mounted  on  horseback  and  went  to  the  hill  called 
the  Mont-des-Allouettes,  whence  a  large  body  of  the 
Vendean  military  were  discovered.  Hymns  and 
psalms  were  sung.  The  silver  crosses  of  the  priests 
and  the  parish  banners  glittered  in  the  sunlight. 
The  whole  crowd  kneeled  down  when,  on  the  sum- 
mit of  the  hill,  the  Princess  laid  the  first  stone  of  a 
chapel  to  be  dedicated  to  the  Virgin. 

At  Nantes  the  Duchess  saw  with  profound  emo- 
tion a  statue  of  her  father  on  the  Place  Louis  Seize. 
Her  tears  flowed  freely.  "  Thanks,"  said  she  to  the 
mayor  and  the  prefect,  "  thanks  for  the  homage  you 
have  rendered  to  virtue.  The  people  of  Nantes  are 
the  first  who  have  erected  a  statue  to  my  father ;  I 
shall   never  forget  it  while  I  live."     The   market- 


276  THE  DUCHESS  OF  BEBBY 

women,  who  brought  bouquets  for  her,  threw  them- 
selves on  their  knees  before  the  daughter  of  the 
martyr-King  and  made  the  sign  of  the  cross. 

In  the  eyes  of  the  royalists,  who  made  a  cult  of 
their  opinions,  the  French  monarchy  was  identified 
with  two  women,  one  of  Avhom  represented  its  past 
and  the  other  its  future :  the  orphan  of  the  Temple, 
and  the  mother  of  the  Child  of  Miracle.  While  the 
Duchess  of  Angouleme  was  visiting  heroic  Vendue, 
the  Duchess  of  Berry  celebrated  the  third  anniversary 
of  her  son's  birth.  The  little  Prince,  who  had  been 
vowed  to  white  until  his  fourth  year,  put  on  colors 
for  the  first  time  that  day.  He  came  to  breakfast 
with  his  family  in  a  blue  suit,  wearing  the  arms  pre- 
sented by  his  grandfather,  and  giving  his  arm  to 
Mademoiselle  his  sister,  who  was  a  year  older  than 
he.  The  •  little  Princess  seemed  very  proud  of  her 
cavalier's  appearance.  At  dessert,  the  Prince  of  Leon 
took  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux  in  his  arms,  and  the 
child,  holding  a  glass  in  his  hand,  exclaimed,  "  To 
the  health  of  the  King,  my  uncle,  and  all  my  brave 
soldiers." 

At  this  time  all  things  seemed  favorable  to  the 
Restoration.  On  August  31  the  Duke  of  Angou- 
leme had  seized  the  fort  of  Trocadero,  after  some 
brilliant  fighting.  On  October  1  the  Cortes  surren- 
dered the  city  of  Cadiz  and  set  the  King  of  Spain 
at  liberty.  Ferdinand  VII.  went  to  Port  Sainte- 
Marie  where  he  awaited  his  deliverer,  the  Duke  of 
Angouleme.     The  Bourbon  of  France  knelt  on  one 


THE  END   OF  THE  BEIGN  211 

knee  to  receive  the  Bourbon  of  Spain,  and  offered 
him  the  sword  which  had  just  opened  his  prison 
doors.  Then  the  two  descendants  of  Louis  XIV. 
embraced  each  other.  When  the  Duchess  of  Angou- 
leme  was  apprised  of  the  result  of  the  war,  she 
exclaimed,  "  It  is  proved,  then,  that  there  is  a  possi- 
bility of  rescuing  an  unfortunate  king!  " 

The  Duke  of  Angouleme  re-entered  the  Tuileries 
in  triumph,  December  2,  1823.  Louis  XVIII.  took 
him  in  his  arms,  praised  "  his  conduct,  his  prudent 
modesty  in  success,"  and  conducted  him  to  the 
Pavilion  of  the  Horloge  to  show  him  to  the  crowd, 
in  the  midst  of  general  acclamations.  December 
15,  the  H6tel  de  Ville  gave  a  magnificent  fete  in 
honor  of  the  victor  of  Trocadero.  The  princes  and 
princesses  were  served  at  table  by  Count  de  Chabrol, 
prefect  of  the  Seine,  and  the  wives  of  the  municipal 
body.  The  Countess  of  Chabrol  sat  down  for  a 
moment  at  the  banquet,  and  presently  rose  again  in 
order  to  stand  behind  the  Duchess  of  Angouleme. 
After  the  repast  Their  Highnesses  passed  into  a  hall 
where  a  frieze  of  plaster  bas-reliefs  had  been  placed, 
representing  the  principal  events  of  the  war  in  Spain, 
and  certain  episodes  of  the  Duchess  of  Angouleme's 
travels  in  the  south  of  France.  The  Princess  bowed, 
and  8aid  modestly,  "  I  do  not  think  I  ought  to  occupy 
a  place  beside  so  many  great  actions."  The  prefect 
of  the  Seine  addressed  a  discourse  to  the  victorious 
Prince.     He  said:  — 

"  How  beautiful  are  these  laurels  !     How  dear  they 


278  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BERBY 

must  be  to  the  heart  of  a  father  who  is  the  finished 
type  of  a  man,  to  the  heart  of  a  spouse  whose  noble 
enthusiasm  seems  like  a  ray  of  heaven  coming  to 
animate  all  things,  to  the  magnanimous  mother  of 
these  august  children  on  whom  rests  the  future  of 
the  Empire  of  Saint  Louis  !  The  palm  belongs  to  all. 
All  are  united  in  the  same  love.  This  immortal  palm 
belongs  above  all  to  the  King ;  to  the  King  whose 
voice  resounded  from  the  height  of  his  throne ;  to  the 
King  from  whom  all  good  things  emanate  !  Perhaps 
he  was  unwilling,  on  this  day,  to  share  and  so  diminish 
the  eclat  of  a  conqueror ;  but  it  was  in  vain.  The 
royal  crown  shines  brilliantly  before  all  eyes.  Yes, 
Sire,  Your  Majesty,  though  absent,  fills  to  their 
utmost  these  vast  porticos." 

The  Count  of  Artois  spoke  next :  — 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  he,  "  in  the  few  words  I  am 
about  to  say,  pardon  the  emotion  I  experience.  It 
is  the  glory  of  my  son  that  is  concerned ;  it  is  the 
glory  of  French  arms.  Could  one  doubt  that  my 
son  would  not  accomplish  the  mission  laid  on  him  by 
our  King,  to  fight,  to  vanquish,  and  to  pacify  ?  " 

Here  the  applause  broke  out  so  vehemently  that 
the  Prince  found  himself  too  much  affected  to  con- 
tinue speaking. 

A  stage  had  been  erected  at  the  back  of  the 
Throne  Room.  Here  an  interlude  was  played,  the 
words  by  M.  Alissan  de  Chazet  and  the  music  by 
Bo'ieldieu.  The  scene  represented  a  public  place 
with  an  arch  of  triumph,  on  the  front  of  which  was 


THE  END   OF  THE  BEIGN  279 

written:  To  the  army  of  the  Pyrenees.  A  young 
officer,  decorated,  had  just  come  to  throw  himself 
into  his  father's  arms  and  tell  him  the  exploits  of  the 
victor  of  Trocadero.  Two  Vendean  women  told 
the  tale  of  the  Duchess  of  Angouleme's  journey  in 
the  loyal  province.  Afterwards  the  name  of  the 
Duke  of  Bordeaux  was  pronounced :  "  God  gave 
him,  God  has  preserved  him."  A  general  officer 
made  his  appearance.  A  crown  of  laurels  was 
offered  him,  and  he  laid  it  on  the  bust  of  the  King. 
After  the  interlude  there  was  a  grand  ball.  The 
Duchess  of  Berry  danced  two  quadrilles ;  one  with 
the  Prince  of  Carignan,  and  the  other  with  M.  Mallet. 
The  royalists  were  convinced  that  they  had  finally 
won  the  day,  and  in  the  midst  of  his  sufferings 
Louis  XVIII.  was  consoled  by  the  thought  that  his 
work  was  consolidated.  The  royal  family  was  much 
more  united  than  at  the  beginning  of  the  Restora- 
tion. The  antagonism  between  the  two  brothers  had 
almost  entirely  disappeared.  The  Count  of  Artois, 
thinking  that  Louis  XVIII.  had  reached  the  term  of 
his  life,  had  the  good  taste  not  to  show  any  impa- 
tience to  reign.  Moreover,  he  had  already  obtained 
some  great  satisfactions.  Under  Villele  as  minister, 
his  friends  had  come  into  power,  and  he  himself  was 
like  a  coadjutor  to  the  King.  The  elections  of  1824 
had  given  the  Right  an  enormous  majority.  The 
Left,  which  had  had  one  hundred  and  ten  members 
in  the  last  Chamber  of  Deputies,  had  only  nineteen 
in  the  new  one,  and  the  royalists  celebrated  their 
victory  with  noisy  rejoicings. 


280  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBBY 

The  session  opened  at  the  Louvre,  March  23, 
1824.  Then,  with  a  weakened  but  always  solemn 
voice,  the  old  monarch  said :  "  France  has  no  more 
to  fear  from  the  state  of  the  Peninsula,  hencefor- 
ward returned  to  its  King  and  reconciled  with 
Europe.  This  triumph  of  a  most  righteous  enter- 
prise is  due  to  the  bravery  and  discipline  of  the 
French  army,  so  worthily  commanded  by  a  Prince 
of  the  royal  house."  Frenzied  acclamations  broke 
forth.  Never  since  the  re-establishment  of  royalty 
had  the  speech  from  the  throne  announced  so  pros- 
perous a  state  of  affairs  within  and  without. 

Unfortunately,  the  sovereign  whose  wisdom  might 
have  rendered  such  prosperity  durable  was  growing 
weak  as  fast  as  his  realm  seemed  to  be  growing 
strong.  On  returning  from  the  royal  session,  the 
Prime  Minister,  M.  de  Villdle,  wrote  in  his  memo- 
randum book : — 

"  I  was  on  hot  coals  while  the  King  was  delivering 
his  opening  speech,  so  well  aware  was  I  of  his  feeble- 
ness, what  difficulty  he  had  in  reading  it  well,  and 
how  impossible  he  had  found  it  to  learn  it  by  heart, 
as  he  had  done  in  former  years.  I  knew  what  alarm 
and  disorder  the  fear  of  a  change  of  kings  under 
such  circumstances  and  in  a  session  devoted  to  such 
serious  questions  would  cause  in  everyone's  mind. 
The  courage  of  the  King,  and  his  mastery  over  him- 
self, aided  him  in  surmounting  these  difficulties.  The 
decline  in  his  physical  strength  was  hardly  percep- 
tible ;  his  moral  force  was  perfect." 


THE  END   OF  THE  REIGN  281 

In  July,  in  spite  of  the  aggravation  of  liis  disease, 
it  was  hoped  that  Louis  XVIII.  might  still  have 
several  months  to  live,  and  the  Duchess  of  Berry 
was  able  to  make  an  excursion  into  Normandy  which 
became  a  triumphal  progress.  Leaving  Saint-Cloud 
at  five  in  the  morning,  July  22,  she  arrived  at  Rouen 
at  eight  in  the  evening  of  the  same  day.  The  Norman 
capital  gave  her  some  magnificent  fetes.  Before 
entering  the  city,  the  Princess  had  made  a  halt  in 
the  fields.     The  Moniteur  said :  — 

"It  was  a  singular  and  touching  spectacle  to  see 
the  Daughter  of  Kings  surrounded  by  peasants  of  both 
sexes  in  their  harvesters'  frocks,  who  policed  them- 
selves by  means  of  long  white  wands.  Young  and 
beautiful  women,  wearing  the  costume  of  the  country, 
scattered  flowers  at  the  feet  of  the  august  traveller." 

At  ten  in  the  evening  of  July  31  the  Princess 
arrived  at  Dieppe,  which  was  to  become  one  of  her 
favorite  stopping-places.  A  letter  from  Dieppe  which 
appeared  in  the  Moniteur  says :  — 

"  From  five  in  the  afternoon  an  extraordinary  com- 
motion was  noticeable  in  the  town.  To  see  the  kind 
of  disorder  prevailing  in  every  street,  the  going  and 
coming  of  the  inhabitants,  the  National  Guards  rushing 
to  arms,  the  troops  hastening  to  their  posts  from  every 
direction,  one  would  think  the  enemy  was  at  the 
gates  of  the  town.  It  was  an  angel  who  was  coming 
towards  our  walls,  preceded  by  the  joy  and  happiness 
her  presence  must  inspire." 

The  Duchess  of  Berry  said  to  the  mayor :  "  I  see 


282  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BERRY 

very  well  that  Henri  IV.  was  right  when  he  called 
the  people  of  Dieppe  his  good  friends.  I  shall  imitate 
my  ancestor  in  his  love  for  you."  Several  young 
ladies  of  Dieppe  offered  her  a  little  ivory  ship,  called 
Saint  Ferdi7iand,  which  was  the  name  of  the  vessel 
that  had  brought  her  from  Naples  to  France  in  1816. 
The  fishermen's  wives  from  PoUet  were  admitted  to 
her  presence  in  their  picturesque  costume :  a  short 
petticoat  reaching  a  trifle  lower  than  their  knees, 
men's  buckled  shoes,  a  striped  red  and  white  apron, 
an  enormous  headdress,  and  large  earrings. 

During  the  three  weeks  the  amiable  Princess  stayed 
there,  Dieppe  was  extraordinarily  animated  and  bril- 
liant. A  ball-room  had  been  built  expressly  for  her, 
in  which  comedies  were  also  performed.  The  Gr^m- 
nase  was  the  Parisian  theatre  specially  protected  by 
the  Duchess  of  Berry ;  the  witty  and  amusing  little 
plays  of  Scribe  and  his  collaborators  were  given  there. 
The  mayor  of  Dieppe  engaged  the  best  actors  of  this 
theatre  to  give  twenty-one  representations;  every 
second  day  they  played  in  the  hall  specially  con- 
structed for  the  Princess,  and  on  the  intermediate 
days  in  the  town  theatre  for  the  public.  People 
hastened  from  all  the  neighboring  villages  and  castles, 
to  pay  their  homage  to  the  mother  of  the  Duke  of 
Bordeaux.  August  2,  the  Municipal  Council  gave  her 
a  ball  which  was  a  marvel  of  elegance.  Dieppe  was 
thenceforward  the  fashion.  August  23,  the  enchanting 
Princess  left  this  town  which  had  been  charmed  by 
her  grace,  and  on  the  25th  she  congratulated  Louis. 
XVIII.  at  the  Tuileries  on  his  fete  day. 


XXIX 

THE  DEATH   OF  LOUIS   XVIII 

LOUIS  XVIII.  felt  himself  dying.  He  had  told 
his  ministers  that  he  would  give  death  a  good 
reception,  and  while  he  was  already  nothing  but  a 
living  corpse  from  the  physical  point  of  view,  on 
the  moral  side  he  preserved  an  energy  which  does 
the  greatest  honor  to  his  firmness  of  character.  This 
admirer  of  Horace  was  about  to  die  like  a  Stoic.  As 
Lamartine  has  said,  "  The  cool  precision  with  which, 
in  his  most  secret  intimacy,  he  estimated  the  few 
days  he  had  still  to  live,  the  solicitude  with  which 
he  prescribed  beforehand  the  measures  to  be  taken 
for  concealing  his  last  moments,  attest  his  possession 
of  that  reflective  courage  which  is  rarer  than  that 
proper  to  the  battle-fields,  the  silent,  philosophic 
courage,  without  excitement  and  without  illusion, 
which  sees  the  sepulchre  at  the  foot  of  the  throne, 
and  which  drapes  itself  in  order  to  go  down  into  it 
with  dignity." 

It  was  evident  from  the  spring  of  1824  that  the 
King  had  only  a  few  months  longer  to  live.  "  The 
last  time  that  I  saw  Louis  XVIIL,"  writes  the 
Count  of  Puymaigre,  "  was  at  the  close  of  1824,  when 

283 


284  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEE  BY 

I  was  admitted  to  what  is  called  a  special  audience. 
According  to  his  usual  custom,  he  was  sitting  at  a 
table  whose  covering  came  down  to  the  carpet,  and 
left  nothing  visible  but  the  upper  part  of  his  body, 
the  coquetry  of  an  old  man  who  wants  to  hide  his 
defects.  He  was  no  longer  the  same  man;  that 
appearance  of  force,  that  piercing  glance,  that  sono- 
rous voice,  which  always  provoked  positive  replies, 
were  gone.  One  could  but  remark,  on  the  contrary, 
the  alteration  in  his  features,  and  a  sort  of  drowsi- 
ness, always  a  fatal  symptom  in  an  old  man  in  whom 
the  springs  of  a  non-natural  and  artificially  prolonged 
life  are  about  to  break.  His  phrases,  to  be  sure,  had 
their  usual  lucidity,  but  he  uttered  them  with  diffi- 
culty, and  seemed  absorbed  in  painful  preoccupations. 
I  took  the  risk  of  reminding  him  of  the  recent  suc- 
cesses of  his  army  in  Spain ;  then  a  light  seemed  to 
flit  across  that  noble  countenance  ;  the  King  sat  up 
and  seemed  to  grow  large  in  his  armchair  ;  and  as  if 
he  had  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  future,  as  if  he  had 
suddenly  been  initiated  into  the  judgments  of  pos- 
terity, he  exclaimed  in  a  strong  voice  and  with  a  sort 
of  prophetic  inspiration,  '  Yes ;  that  will  be  a  glorious 
page  in  my  history ! '  And  then  his  head  fell  pain- 
fully back  on  his  shoulder,  a  smile  passed  across  his 
lips,  and  I  heard,  or  thought  I  heard,  these  words, 
uttered  in  a  low  and  almost  unintelligible  voice, 
*  For  the  last  one  ! '  I  was  still  listening,  moved  by 
this  imposing  spectacle  of  royalty  contending  against 
death,  when  a  sign  of  dismissal,  that  sign  of  the  head 


THE  DEATH  OF  LOUIS  XVIII  285 

which,  with  princes,  means,  '  Go  away ! '  restored  me 
to  a  sense  of  my  position.  I  hastened  my  obeisances 
and  departed." 

This  moribund  man,  who  by  dint  of  believing  in  his 
own  principles  had  ended  by  making  them  believed 
by  others,  wished  to  die  as  he  had  lived,  a  king.  He 
was  often  heard  to  quote  the  saying  of  Vespasian, 
"  An  emperor  should  die  standing.  Oportet  impera' 
torem  stantem  mori.^^  He  had  himself  carried,  in 
the  midst  of  summer,  from  Saint-Cloud  to  the 
Tuileries,  so  that  he  might  yield  his  last  breath  in 
the  palace  which  had  been  like  the  sanctuary 
of  royal  power.  The  sessions  of  the  ministerial 
councils  took  place  as  usual.  He  remained  drowsy 
or  sleeping,  but  he  presided.  He  rode  out  as  usual 
in  his  carriage,  so  enfeebled  and  so  greatly  changed, 
that  people  complained  when  they  saw  him  passing 
in  such  a  sorry  condition,  and  the  parties  accused 
the  ministers  of  obliging  a  dying  monarch  to  go  out, 
in  order  to  deceive  the  public  and  retain  their 
portfolios. 

Louis  XVIII.  would  make  no  change  whatever  in 
his  official  life.  "  It  is  permissible  for  a  king  to  be 
dead,"  said  he,  "  but  he  is  forbidden  to  be  sick."  It 
was  sought  in  vain  to  induce  him  to  countermand 
the  reception  of  August  25,  the  day  of  his  fete.  He 
sat  on  his  throne  as  in  former  years,  received  the 
felicitations  of  all  the  constituted  bodies,  and  replied 
to  the  harangue  of  the  prefect  of  the  Seine  with  as 
much  precision  and  good  grace  as  if  he  had  been  in 


286  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEERY 

perfect  health.  As  Lamartine  has  said  again,  "  until 
the  extinction  of  his  forces,  he  compelled  himself  to 
preserve  the  attitude,  the  look,  the  presence  of  mind, 
the  smile,  of  his  reception  days;  he  endured  for 
several  hours  the  torture  of  this  long  dissimulation 
of  his  approaching  death.  It  was  only  at  the  end 
that  his  pains  and  his  drowsiness  triumphed  over  the 
firmness  of  his  soul.  His  shrunken  and  pallid  head 
drooped  on  his  breast  and  almost  touched  his  knees ; 
he  fell  into  a  slumber  which  was  like  prostration. 
The  latest  courtiers  who  silently  passed  before  the 
foot  of  his  armchair  thought  they  were  passing  the 
shadow  of  death.  He  was  carried  back  to  his  apart- 
ments, still  sleeping.  His  obstinate  firmness  had 
increased  the  public  alarm  that  he  had  wished  to 
dispel."  On  the  27th  and  28th  of  August  he  still 
had  the  energy  to  ride  out  as  far  as  Choisy. 

September  2,  M.  de  Villele  presented  himself  in  the 
King's  cabinet  to  perform  a  commission  intrusted  to 
him  by  the  Duke  of  Orleans.  The  first  Prince  of-  the 
blood  pointed  out  that  his  eldest  son,  the  Duke  of 
Chartres,  born  September  3, 1810,  was  about  to  attain 
his  fourteenth  year.  Now,  according  to  the  usages 
of  the  monarchy,  he  added,  the  blue  ribbon  had  been 
acquired  by  his  son  by  that  very  fact,  all  the  young 
princes  placed  in  the  same  position  having  been 
decorated  with  it  at  that  age,  and  notably  the  Duke 
of  Enghien.  "I  found  the  King  hardly  able  to 
hold  up  his  head,"  wrote  M.  de  Villdle  in  his  memo- 
randum book,  "  and  I  was  obliged  to  bend  down  my 


THE  DEATH  OF  LOUIS  XVIII  287 

own  over  his  desk  in  order  not  to  lose  his  reply.  He 
answered  me  without  hesitation :  '  You  will  say  to  M. 
the  Duke  of  Orleans  that  he  is  mistaken ;  that  what  he 
asks  for  is  not  due  until  the  fifteenth  year,  and  that  I 
shall  never  do  anything  for  him  except  what  is  due 
to  him.  The  example  he  cites  condemns  his  claim. 
The  Duke  of  Enghien  '  —  and  he  gave  with  astonish- 
ing precision  the  day,  month,  and  year  of  his  birth  — 
'did  not  have  the  blue  ribbon  until  the  day  of  his 
fifteenth  year  came  round'  —  and  again  he  cited 
the  date.  '  M.  the  Duke  of  Chartres  will  not  have 
it  until  a  year  from  to-morrow.' "  M.  de  Villdle 
adds  to  this  account :  "  Such  a  memory,  such  pres- 
ence of  mind,  and  such  resolution  with  such  great 
physical  weakness  would  seem  impossible  to  one  who 
had  not,  like  myself,  witnessed  it." 

On  September  7  Louis  XVIII.  again  received  the 
diplomatic  corps.  On  the  10th  he  was  very  evidently 
worse.     On  that  day  M.  de  Villele  wrote  :  — 

"  The  King  is  no  longer  able  to  hold  up  his  head, 
which  was  all  bruised  by  falling  on  the  sharp  edge 
of  his  desk.  I  had  observed  to  his  attendants  the 
night  before  that  a  cushion  would  be  necessary 
for  him ;  they  had  offered  him  one  and  been  rudely 
repulsed.  Seeing  the  King's  forehead  bruised  and 
his  face  bloody,  I  ventured  to  ask  his  permission  to 
have  a  cushion  brought ;  I  added  that  I  had  to  con- 
sult him  on  an  important  matter  concerning  which  it 
was  necessary  that  he  should  have  the  goodness  to 
give  me  directions,  which  would  be  impossible  if  his 


288  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEEEY  ' 

head  were  not  high  enough  for  me  to  hear  what  he 
said.  He  made  a  sign  of  approval;  I  opened  the 
cabinet,  and  a  pillow  was  brought,  which  allowed  me 
to  hear  what  the  King  chose  to  say  to  me,  without 
any  difficulty.  On  leaving  the  King,  I  went  to 
Monsieur,  and  I  reassembled  the  Council  to  confer 
on  this  painful  situation." 

The  energy  manifested  by  the  dying  king  in  ful- 
filling his  part  as  sovereign  to  his  latest  hour  can  be 
estimated  from  the  fact  that  at  the  time  when  he  was 
still  presiding  at  ministerial  councils,  the  gangrene 
which  was  gnawing  his  feet  had  already  devoured 
the  toes. 

"  The  death  of  Louis  XYIIL,"  Marshal  Marmont 
has  written,  "  is  one  of  the  most  admirable  spectacles 
I  ever  beheld.  His  courage,  his  resignation,  and  his 
calmness  were  extraordinary.  He  looked  his  end  in 
the  face  without  anxiety  and  without  terroj.  ...  He 
asked  Portal,  his  principal  physician,  if  his  last 
moments  would  be  attended  by  great  suffering  and  a 
long  stay  in  his  bed.  Portal  replied:  'Sire,  you 
will  suffer  little,  and  you  will  die  in  your  bed  if  you 
choose ;  in  any  case,  you  will  not  stay  long  in  bed.' 
This  poor  king  sank  down  gradually,  and  to  such  a 
point  that  he  was  bent  almost  into  a  circle,  with  his 
chin  close  to  his  knees.  His  life  was  almost  extinct, 
and  he  continued  to  fulfil  the  apparent  duties,  of 
royalty." 

Meanwhile,  no  one  ventured  as  yet  to  publish 
bulletins  of  his  health,  nor  to  ask  him  to  go  to  con- 


THE  DEATH  OF  LOUIS  XVIII  289 

fession.  He  had  accustomed  his  family  to  such  a 
timid  deference  toward  him  that  neither  his  brother, 
his  nephew,  nor  his  niece,  in  spite  of  their  great  piety, 
spoke  to  him  about  his  religious  duties.  The  Viscount 
Sosthene  de  La  Rochefoucauld  persuaded  them  that 
no  one  but  the  Countess  of  Cayla  could  undertake 
this  delicate  mission. 

Marshal  Marmont  says  in  his  memoirs :  "  Saturday, 
September  11,  the  King  again  breakfasted  with  us ; 
at  least,  he,  came  to  table  and  sat  in  his  usual  place. 
This  was  the  first  day  that  he  had  moments  of  absent- 
mindedness.  I  don't  know  what  disagreeable  thing 
he  did  to  Madame  the  Duchess  of  Angouleme.  Com- 
ing to  himself,  he  noticed  it,  and  said  to  her  with 
admirable  calmness  and  an  angelic  gentleness :  '  Niece, 
when  one  is  dying,  he  does  not  know  very  well  what 
he  is  about.' 

"  Madame  du  Cayla  saw  him  for  the  last  time  that 
day,  and  she  did  not  leave  his  cabinet  with  empty 
hands.  She  presented  for  his  signature  an  order  to 
buy  the  h6tel  de  Montmorency,  on  the  quay,  for  her ; 
and  he,  blind  and  dying,  made  a  formless  scrawl  at 
the  bottom  of  it  which  was  accepted  as  a  regular 
signature  by  the  minister  of  his  household,  the 
Duke  of  Doudeauville.  This  h^tel,  bought  directly 
from  Marshal  Mortier,  and  paid  for  in  ready  money 
to  the  amount  of  seven  hundred  thousand  francs, 
became  the  property  of  Madame  du  Cayla."  This  final 
liberality  on  the  part  of  Louis  XVIII.  has  caused 
M.  de  Lamartine  to  say :  "Never  had  a  prince  calum- 


290  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEE  BY 

iiiously  accused  of  insensibility  and  egotism  more 
need  of  tenderness,  and  never  did  one  more  obsti- 
nately devote  his  earliest  and  his  latest  days  to  the 
charms  and  even  to  the  servitudes  of  his  attach- 
ments. Until  his  last  hour  he  busied  himself  with 
the  lot  he  sought  to  assure  after  his  death  for  her 
whom  he  loved." 

The  Countess  of  Cayla,  however,  while  attending 
to  her  personal  interests,  had  not  forgotten  the  relig- 
ious mission  entrusted  to  her.  In  this  final  interview 
with  the  dying  King  she  induced  him  to  send  for  a 
priest.  The  Abbe  Rocher  was  summoned  immedi- 
ately, and  Louis  XVIII.  made  his  confession.  It 
was  time ;  for  that  evening  the  King  no  longer  had 
strength  to  give  the  countersign,  which  he  had 
always  done  till  then. 

The  next  day,  September  12,  it  was  plain  that 
the  catastrophe  was  at  hand.  The  Prince  who  was 
about  to  style  himself  Charles  X.  sent  a  courier 
to  Eu  with  the  following  letter  for  the  Duke  of 
Orleans :  — 

"Paris,  September  12,  1824,  2  p.m.— The  weak- 
ness of  the  King  has  increased  so  much  since  yester- 
day, my  dear  cousin,  that  I  find  myself  under  the 
painful  necessity  of  sending  a  courier  to  ask  you  to 
return  hither  as  soon  as  possible,  without,  however, 
causing  any  detriment  to  the  health  of  your  wife  and 
sister.  Pity  me,  my  dear  cousin,  my  heart  is  torn 
with  grief ;  but  I  hope  God  will  give  me  the  strength 
of  which  I  have,  and,  alas !  of  which  I  shall  have. 


THE  DEATH  OF  LOUIS  XVIII  291 


perhaps,  so  much  need.  I  say  nothing  more,  so  as  to 
hasten  the  departure  of  my  letter.  You  have  long 
known  my  ancient  and  constant  friendship  for  you 
and  your  family.  —  Charles  Philippe." 

On  the  same  day,  Sunday,  September  12,  Mgr. 
de  Quelen,  Archbishop  of  Paris,  issued  a  charge 
in  which  he  said :  — 

"  In  vain  would  we  seek  to  hide  it  from  you ;  in 
vain  through  love  for  his  people,  has  our  august  and 
religious  monarch,  overcoming  his  pains  with  a  rare 
magnanimity  and  admirable  constancy,  sought  to 
resist  the  efforts  and  the  progress  of  his  malady,  and 
as  it  were  to  survive  himself,  in  order  not  to  disturb 
by  premature  alarms  the  repose  and  happiness  which 
his  wisdom  has  been  able  to  maintain  throughout  the 
kingdom.  The  moment  has  come  when  nature  is 
forced  to  recognize  its  weakness  under  the  powerful 
hand  of  Him  who  strikes  and  who  heals,  who  gives 
and  who  takes  away  the  health  of  princes.  What- 
ever, my  dearest  brethren,  may  be  the  impenetra- 
ble designs  of  God,  faith  and  love  summon  us  to 
the  foot  of  His  altars.  Our  hope  cannot  be  deceived ; 
Frenchmen,  if  we  cannot  save  the  King,  we  can  at 
least  associate  ourselves  with  him  in  his  last  struggle. 
We  desire  to  aid  him  to  win  the  immortal  crown,  and 
to  open  for  him,  by  the  weapons  of  prayer,  that  celes- 
tial city  wherein  so  many  saints  of  his  noble  race  are 
already  reigning,  and  where,  seated  beside  them,  he 
will  become,  like  them,  the  protector  of  the  mon- 
archy." 


292  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BERRY 

Louis  XVIII.  was  still  unwilling,  on  that  day,  to 
go  to  bed.  As  he  was  strongly  urged  to  do  so, 
"  That,"  said  he,  "  would  be  an  advertisement  that 
my  death  is  near ;  then,  until  it  comes,  the  theatres 
would  be  closed  and  the  Bourse  likewise.  Every- 
thing suspended ;  it  is  a  great  thing,  the  death  of  a 
king  of  France !  Something  must  be  done  so  that 
the  burden  shall  weigh  on  the  people  as  short  a  time 
as  possible."  In  the  evening  of  that  Sunday,  Sep- 
tember 12,  1824,  he  lay  down  never  to  rise  again. 

No  bulletin  of  his  health  had  as  yet  been  issued. 
The  first  of  them  did  not  appear  until  Monday  morn- 
ing, September  13.  They  were  dated  on  the  previ- 
ous day,  and  signed  by  six  doctors  and  the  Count  of 
Damas,  first  gentleman  of  the  chamber.  The  first 
ran  as  follows  ;  — 

"  At  the  Tuileries,  September,  12,  1824,  6  a.m.  — 
The  old  and  permanent  infirmities  of -the  King  have 
perceptibly  increased  for  some  time  past.  His  health 
has  seemed  more  profoundly  impaired,  and  has  been 
the  subject  of  more  frequent  consultations.  His 
Majesty's  constitution  and  the  cares  bestowed  on 
him  encouraged  for  some  days  the  hope  that  his 
health  might  be  restored  to  its  ordinary  condition ; 
but  to-day  it  can  no  longer  be  doubted  that  his  forces 
are  considerably  diminished,  and  that  the  hopes  enter- 
tained for  him  must  also  dwindle." 

The  second  bulletin  was  worded  thus :  — 

"Sunday,  September  12,  9  p.m.  —  The  fever  has 
augmented  throughout  the  day.     Great  cold  in  the 


THE  DEATH  OF  LOUIS  XVIII  293 

extremities  has  supervened ;  the  weakness  has  in- 
creased, and  also  the  drowsiness ;  the  pulse  always 
feeble  and  irregular." 

These  bulletins  dispelled  all  illusions.  The  Minis- 
ter of  Finance  ordered  the  Bourse  to  be  closed  until 
further  orders,  after  Monday,  September  13,  and 
no  performances  were  given  in  any  of  the  theatres. 
A  crowd  gathered  from  early  morning  in  the  court 
and  garden  of  the  Tuileries.  News  was  anxiously 
demanded,  and  the  churches  were  crowded  with  the 
faithful  who  came  to  pray  for  the  King.  At  eight  in 
the  morning,  the  grand  almoner,  followed  by  the 
curd  of  Saint  Germain  I'Auxerrois  and  the  clergy  of 
this  chapel,  was  seen  to  enter  the  palace.  Pious 
souls  joined  their  intentions  to  the  ceremony  about  to 
be  celebrated  in  the  apartments.  The  King  received 
the  last  sacraments  from  the  hand  of  the  grand 
almoner,  in  presence  of  the  royal  family,  the  grand 
chamberlain,  the  great  officers  of  the  household,  the 
Prince  of  Castelcicala,  arnbassador  of  the  Two  Sicilies, 
the  president  of  the  Council,  and  all  the  domestics. 
During  this  time  the  croAvd  was  increasing  under 
the  sovereign's  chamber  windows.  The  interest  it 
felt  in  him  showed  itself  very  manifestly  when,  after 
the  ceremony,  the  Duchess  of  Angouleme  was  seen 
at  the  foot  of  the  staircase  as  she  was  returning  from 
the  dying  man,  her  eyes  bathed  in  tears. 

The  King,  who  had  given  his  blessing  in  the 
morning  to  his  brother,  his  nephew,  and  his  niece, 
and  also  to  the  Duchess  of  Berry,  wished  to   bid 


294  THE  DUCHESS   OF  BEBBT 

adieu  to  the  children  of  France.  They  came  from 
Saint  Cloud  with  their  governess,  Madame  de 
Gontaut.  "I  received  an  order,"  she  writes,  "to  take 
the  Princes  to  the  King.  He  seemed  to  me  ex- 
tremely feeble.  Sending  them  away  very  soon,  he 
desired  to  embrace  them.  I  lifted  the  Duke  of  Bor- 
deaux up  to  him.  I  heard  him  say  in  a  very  low 
tone,  'Poor  child!  Mayest  thou  be  more  fortunate 
than  we  1 '  Meanwhile  Mademoiselle  was  looking 
for  his  hand  to  kiss  it.  I  trembled  lest  she  should 
find  his  feet,  which  were  in  a  frightful  state.  He 
caused  me  profound  pity.  I  experienced  a  grief  so 
sincere  that  I  could  hardly  restrain  my  tears.  On 
reaching  the  door,  I  looked  at  him  again,  and  felt 
that  it  was  for  the  last  time.  The  children  were  sad 
when  we  returned  to  Saint  Cloud."  When  they 
re-entered  their  carriage  in  the  court  of  the  Tuileries, 
the  crowd  hastened  towards  them,  crying,  "  Long  live 
the  King  !     Long  live  the  Bourbons  !  " 

The  bulletin  of  September  14  announced  that  the 
King's  breathing  was  becoming  more  painful  and 
interrupted,  that  his  pulse  was  growing  weaker 
and  intermittent,  and  that  the  prayers  for  the  dying 
had  already  been  recited  in  his  chamber,  in  presence 
of  the  royal  family.  At  the  moment  when  this  was 
going  on,  he  recovered  consciousness,  and  hearing  a 
priest  say  to  him,  ''  Sire,  unite  yourself  to  the  inten- 
tion of  my  prayers,"  he  replied,  "I  do  not  think 
I  have  got  to  that  point  yet ;  but  no  matter ; 
continue ! " 


THE  DEATH  OF  LOUIS  XVIII  295 

The  bulletins  of  September  15  allowed  the  public 
to  follow  the  progress  of  this  slow  and  noble  agony. 
Marshal  Marmont  had  reason  to  say, "  There  is  no  great 
man  whose  life  would  not  be  honored  by  such  a  death.'* 
On  Thursday,  September  16,  at  one  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  a  messenger  came  to  inform  the  Duke  of 
Orleans  that  the  King  was  at  the  last  extremity.  He 
repaired  with  the  Duchess  at  once  to  the  Tuileries. 
The  dismal  silence  prevailing  in  the  chamber  of  the 
dying  man  allowed  his  short  and  oppressive  breath- 
ing to  be  heard.  All  of  a  sudden  nothing  was  heard. 
The  doctors  then  took  a  lighted  candle  and  brought 
it  close  to  his  mouth  to  assure  themselves  that  at 
last  he  had  ceased  to  suffer.  The  candle  was  not 
extinguished.  The  Duke  of  Angouleme  approached 
Monsieur,  who  was  in  tears,  and  said,  "  My  father, 
all  is  over."  Overwhelmed  in  soul  and  body,  he 
who  thenceforward  called  himself  Charles  X.  seemed 
not  to  comprehend,  until  Count  de  Damas,  advanc- 
ing toward  him,  exclaimed,  "  Sire,  the  King  is  dead." 
It  was  precisely  four  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The 
Duchess  of  Berry,  who  was  present  with  the  royal 
family  at  this  great  and  sorrowful  spectacle,  was  pro- 
foundly affected.  What  might  have  softened  her 
regrets  was  the  thought  that  she  had  never  given 
Louis  XVIII.  a  moment  of  chagrin,  or  even  a  trifling 
annoyance,  and  that  she  had  never  ceased  to  be  a 
Princess  according  to  the  King's  heart. 


INDEX 


Aix,  festival  of  King  Reue  at,  51. 

Alexander,  1 ;  letter  of,  to  Louis 
XVIII.  on  the  birth  of  the  Duke 
of  Bordeaux,  22G. 

Angouleme,  Duke  of,  his  return 
from  his  Spanish  campaign,  277 ; 
fete  in  honor  of,  277. 

Angouleme,  Duchess  of,  describes 
tlie  household  of  the  Duchess  of 
Berry,  30 ;  importunes  the  King 
to  dismiss  Decazes,  180;  makes 
a  journey  in  the  South  of  France, 
274 ;  her  emotion  at  her  father's 
statue  at  Nantes,  275. 

Artois,  Count  of,  his  reception  of 
the  Baron  of  Vitrolles'  sugges- 
tion as  to  his  marrying  again, 
176;  insists  on  the  dismissal  of 
Decazes,  181,  189;  letter  of,  to 
the  Duke  of  Orleans  on  the 
King's  approaching  death,  290. 

Bontinck,  Lord,  requires  Marie 
Caroline  to  leave  Sicily,  9. 

Beranger,  Chanson  of,  252. 

Berry,  Duke  of,  his  marriage  pro- 
posed, 15 ;  letter  of,  to  his  future 
wife,  IG,  22 ;  married  by  proxy, 
24;  pecuniary  arrangements  of 
the  Chamber  of  Deputies  for,  24 ; 
letter  of,  to  his  wife  at  Mar- 
seilles, 35,  39,  55,  59;  marriage 
of,  in  Notre  Dame,  79 ;  installed 
at  the  Elysee,  83 ;  his  person  and 
character,  97  et  seq. ;  premoni- 
tions of  his  fate,  114;  affliction 
of,  at  the  death  of  his  son,  118 ; 
the  birth  of  his  daughter,  Louise 
Marie  Therese,  126;    his  senti- 


ments toward  the  Duke  of  Or- 
leans, 128;  agreeable  change  in 
his  character,  139 ;  his  goodness 
of  heart,  140;  the  incident  of 
Soubriard,  143;  his  freedom  from 
personal  fear,  144 ;  Louvel  deter- 
mines to  kill  him,  150;  receives 
threatening  letters,  152;  at  the 
Opera,  155 ;  stabbed  by  Louvel, 
157;  incidents  of  the  assassina- 
tion, 158  et  seq.;  treatment  of, 
by  the  physicians,  164 ;  confesses, 
167 ;  his  daughters  by  Miss  Brown 
summoned,  167;  his  death,  167; 
rage  of  the  ultras  against  De- 
cazes, accused  of  complicity  in 
the  murder  of,  179;  his  obse- 
quies, 185  et  seq. 
Berry,  Duchess  of,  her  ancestry, 
1  et  seq.;  the  members  of  her 
family,  26;  her  ** epitome"  of 
her  early  life,  2;  extract  from 
her  journal,  5 ;  her  childhood,  7 ; 
meets  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  8; 
avoids  Lord  Bentinck,  10;  la- 
ments the  loss  of  her  grand- 
■  mother,  Marie  Caroline,  11 ;  por- 
trayed by  the  Countess  of  Agoult, 
13;  her  marriage  to  the  Duke 
of  Berry  proposed,  15;  extracts 
from  her  journal,  17  et  seq.;  the 
marriage  contract,  18 ;  her  letter 
to  the  Duke  of  Berry,  21 ;  the 
marriage  of,  by  proxy,  24;  at 
Caserta,  25 ;  sails  for  France,  25 
et  seq.;  at  the  lazaretto  of  Mar- 
seilles, 29;  extract  from  her 
journal,  27;  her  life  at  tlie  laza- 
retto. 36  et  seq. ;  letter  of,  to  the 

297 


298 


INDEX 


Duke  of  Berry,  37 ;  enters  Mar- 
seilles, 43  et  seq.;  ceremonial  of 
her  delivery  to  France,  43  et  seq. ; 
excursion  of,  to  Toulon,  48  et 
seq.;  letter  to  the  Duke,  48; 
journey  of,  to  Fontainebleau,  50 ; 
present  at  the  festival  at  Aix, 
51;  at  Vienne,  53;  letter  of,  to 
the  Duke,  54 ;  arrival  of,  at  Fon- 
tainebleau, 61  et  seq. ;  meets  her 
husband,  64 ;  her  entry  into  Paris, 
72  et  seq.;  the  religious  marriage 
at  Notre  Dame,  77  et  seq.;  cere- 
monies after  the  marriage,  81; 
produces  an  excellent  impression 
in  Paris,  83;  keeps  free  from 
politics,  95;  described  by  Pont- 
martin,  99 ;  her  life  in  Paris,  100 ; 
the  birth  of  her  first  child,  104; 
burial  of,  107 ;  her  elasticity  and 
gaiety.  111 ;  death  of  her  sec- 
ond child,  117;  takes  lessons  in 
music,  121;  gives  birth  to  her 
third  child,  125;  her  happiness, 
142;  her  husband  assassinated 
by  Louvel,  157 ;  her  courage  and 
devotion,  165;  her  grief,  171, 
192 ;  goes  to  the  Tuileries,  193 ; 
attempts  to  alarm  her,  194 ;  her 
dream  that  she  would  bear  a 
son,  195 ;  the  birth  of  the  Duke 
of  Bordeaux,  210;  the  presence 
of  mind  of,  210 ;  witnesses  of  the 
birth,  211;  letter  of,  asking  for 
the  pardon  of  Bouton  and  Gra- 
vier,  223;  receives  the  Diplo- 
matic Corps,  225 ;  pilgrimage  to 
Liesse,  253;  journey  to  Mont- 
Dore,  267 ;  her  pride  in  her  son, 
269 ;  her  confidence  in  the  future, 
270;  excursion  into  Normandy, 
281 ;  at  Dieppe,  282. 

Bombelles,  Abbe',  funeral  oration 
of,  over  the  Princess  Louise  Isa- 
belle,  107. 

Bonaparte,  Joseph,  6. 

Bonapartist  ofi&cers,  conspiracy  of, 
202. 

Bordeaux,  deputation  from,  to  offer 


a  cradle  to  the  expected  child  of 
the  Duchess  of  Berry,  205. 

Bordeaux,  Duke  of,  his  birth,  210 ; 
baptism  of,  212;  his  household, 
215 ;  public  rejoicings  over,  214 
et  seq. ;  his  name  and  titles,  219; 
called  the  child  of  miracle,  220; 
receives  Chambord  as  a  gift  from 
the  nation,  236;  public  baptism 
of,  239  et  seq. ;  fete  in  honor  of, 
at  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  247;  his 
third  anniversary,  276. 

Bourbons,  triumph  of,  in  1823,  272. 

Broglie,  Duke  de,  quoted,  182. 

Broglie,  Duchess  of,  letter  of,  on 
the  Countess  of  Cayla,  266;  her 
description  of  the  royal  family, 
201,  268,  273. 

Caen,  letter  of  the  council  of,  to 
the  King,  234. 

Calabria,  Duke  of,  2. 

Calonne,  proposition  of,  to  buy 
Chambord  by  subscription  for 
the  Duke  of  Bordeaux,  233. 

Cayla,  Countess  of,  her  origin  and 
early  history,  257 ;  presents  her- 
self as  a  suj)pliant  to  the  King, 
258 ;  the  infatuation  of  the  King 
for,  261  et  seq.;  receives  Saint 
Ouen  from  the  King,  263 ;  criti- 
cisms of,  264 ;  sees  the  King  for 
the  last  time,  and  receives  the 
hotel  de  Montmorency,  289;  in- 
duces him  to  send  for  a  priest,  290. 

Chabrol,  Count  de,  address  of,  70. 

Chambord,  Castle  of,  229  et  seq.; 
history  of,  230;  despoiled,  231; 
plan  to  present  it  to  the  Duke  of 
Bordeaux,  233 ;  not  welcomed  by 
the  King,  234;  bought  for  the 
Duke  of  Bordeaux,  236. 

Chartres,  Duke  of,  128. 

Chateaubriand,  quoted,  94 ;  on  De- 
cazes  and  the  murder  of  the 
Duke  of  Berry,  179,  183,  185, 187, 
219 ;  on  the  Spanish  war,  272. 

Court  of  Louis  XVIIL,  divergent 
elements  in,  90  et  seg- 


INDEX 


299 


Courier,  Paul  Louis,  combats  the 
plan  to  buy  Chambord,  23(5. 

Coussergues,  M.  Clause!,  attacks 
Decazes  as  accomplice  of  the 
murder  of  the  Duke  of  Berry, 
175. 

Damas,  Baron  de,  32. 

Daudet,  Ernest,  on  Madame  du 
Cayla,  2G2. 

Decazes,  Count,  90;  early  career  of, 
132 ;  Chateaubriand's  opinion  of, 
133 ;  the  secret  of  his  success  with 
Louis  XVIII.,  134;  the  King's  in- 
fatuation over,  136;  incurs  the 
hatred  of  the  ultras,  137;  accused 
of  complicity  in  the  murder  of 
the  Duke  of  Berry,  175 ;  dismissed 
by  the  King,  182. 

Dumas,  Alexander,  fils,  3. 

!^lysee,  the  Palace  of,  96 ;  the  court 
of,  100. 

Ferdinand  IV.,  King  of  Naples,  2, 

4;  his  bourgeois  tastes,  14. 
Ferdinand    VII.  of    Spain,    takes 

oath  to  the  Constitution,  202. 
Ferronnays,  La,  Countess  of,  29; 

shuts  herself  up  in  the  lazaretto 

with  the  Duchess  of  Berry,  33; 

outsteps  her  instructions,  34. 
Flags,  distribution  of,  by  the  King 

on  the  Champ  de  Mars,  85  et  seq. 
Fontainebleau,  57  et  seq. 
Fremilly,  Baron  of,  letter  on  the 

entry  of  the  Duchess  of  Berry 

into  Paris,  72. 

Gontaut,  Duchess  of,  extract  from 
her  Memoirs,  29  et  seq. ;  describes 
the  festival  at  Aix,  51 ;  describes 
the  funeral  of  the  Princess  Louise 
.Isabelle  at  Saint  Denis,  109 ;  lady 
of  the  bed-chamber  to  the  Duchess 
of  Berry,  112 ;  intimacy  of,  with 
the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Berry, 
115;  describes  their  life  and 
amusements,  122 ;  chosen  as  gov- 


erness for  the  expected  infant  of 
the  Duchess  of  Berry,  123 ;  sum- 
moned to  carry  Mademoiselle  to 
her  dying  fatlier,  163;  describes 
the  return  of  the  Duchess  of 
Berry,  171;  her  account  of  the 
baptism  of  the  Duke  of  Bor- 
deaux, 239. 
Gre'goire,  Count,  not  admitted  as  a 
deputy,  130. 

Helfert,  on  the  Duchess  of  Berry  in 

her  childhood,  7. 
Henri  IV.,  statue  of,  inaugurated 

on  the  Pont  Neuf ,  115. 
Hotel  de  Ville,  Paris,  marriage  of 

fifteen  poor  orphans  at,  69. 
Huet,  story  of,  224. 
Hugo,  Victor,  verses   of,   on   the 

Duke  of  Berry,  161,  196;   poem 

to  the  Duchess  of   Berry,  203; 

dithyramb  in  honor  of  the  Duke 

of  Bordeaux,  226 ;  celebrates  his 

baptism,  251. 

Lafayette,  speech  of,  quoted,  197. 

Lally,  M.  de,  letter  of,  to  Decazes, 
227. 

Lamartine,  on  the  death  of  the 
Duke  of  Berry,  166 ;  on  the  Coun- 
tess of  Cayla  and  the  King,  260 ; 
on  the  birth  of  the  Duke  of  Bor- 
deaux, 226 ;  on  the  King's  energy 
of  character,  283,  286 ;  on  his  lib- 
erality, 289. 

Louis  XVIII.,  decree  of,  at  Fon- 
tainebleau, 57;  reply  of,  to  the 
address  of  the  Abbe  Dubois,  74 ; 
distribution  of  flags  by,  85;  ri- 
valry between,  and  the  Count  of 
Artois,  89 ;  discipline  imposed  by> 
on  his  court,  90;  discontent  of 
the  royalists  with,  92  et  seq. ;  his 
reply  to  the  address  of  the  Mar- 
quis de  Marbois,  116;  urges  the 
Duchess  de  Gontaut  to  accept 
the  position  of  governess  to  the 
young  princess,  124 ;  speech  of,  in 
opening  the  session  of  the  Cham- 


300 


INDEX 


bers,  180;  pleasure  of,  in  the 
conversation  of  the  Count  De- 
cazes,  135;  dismisses  Decazes, 
183 ;  present  at  the  birth  of  the 
Duke  of  Bordeaux,  211 ;  addresses 
the  crowd,  215;  and  the  Diplo- 
matic Corps,  225 ;  at  Notre  Dame, 
at  the  baptism  of  the  Duke  of 
Bordeaux,  243;  his  need  of  a 
confidant,  256;  the  Countess  of 
Cayla  presented  to  him  by  De- 
cazes, 257,  260;  his  infatuation 
with  her,  261 ;  gives  Saint  Ouen 
to  the  Countess  of  Cayla,  263; 
courage  of,  in  the  face  of  death, 
283;  refuses  to  be  sick,  285; 
Villele's  account  of  an  interview 
with  him,  286 ;  sees  the  Countess 
of  Cayla  for  the  last  time,  289 ; 
makes  his  confession,  290;  bulle- 
tins respecting  his  failing  health, 
292;  bids  adieu  to  the  children 
of  the  Duke  of  Berry,  294;  his 
death,  295. 

Louise  Isabelle  of  Artois,  birth  of, 
104. 

Louise  Marie  Therese  of  Artois, 
birth  of,  125. 

Louvel,  Louis  Pierre,  his  birth  and 
career,  147 ;  considers  himself  an 
avenger,  148 ;  goes  to  Elba,  148 ; 
described  by  Lamartine,  149 ;  de- 
termines to  strike  the  Duke  of 
Berry,  150 ;  his  opportunity,  153 ; 
stabs  the  Duke,  157 ;  capture  of, 
159;  interrogated,  186;  declara- 
tion of,  199 ;  executed,  201 ;  inci- 
dent concerning,  192. 


Marie  Amelia  meets  the  Duke  of 
Orleans,  8. 

Marie  Caroline,  2,  3;  letter  of,  to 
Lady  Hamilton,  5 ;  banished  from 
Naples  by  Napoleon,  6;  detests 
the  English,  9 ;  her  last  days,  10. 

Marie  Clementine,  4. 

Marie  Isabelle,  the  Infanta,  6. 

Marcellus,  M.  de,  outburst  of,  on 


the   marriage  of   the  Duke    of 

Berry,  23. 
Marmont,    Marshal,   quoted,  211; 

on  the  death  of  Louis  XVIII.,  288 ; 

on  the  fete  to  the  Duke  of  Bor- 
deaux, 249. 
Marseilles,  the  Duchess  of  Berry 

in  the  lazaretto  of,  29 ;  informal 

entry  into,  42  et  seq. 
Mennechet,  M.,  verses  on  the  birth 

of  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux,  214. 
Mesnard,  Count  de,  on  the  Duchess 

of  Berry,  142. 
Moniteur,  The,  quoted,  50,  69,  71, 

105,  106,  115,  116,  119,  121,  124, 

129,  131,  173,  224. 
Murat,  on  the  throne  of  Naples,  6. 

Napoleon  banishes  the  Bourbons 

from  Naples,  6 ;  death  of,  250. 
Nettement,  M.  Alfred,  quoted,  6, 

88. 
Nodier,  M.  Charles,  article  of,  on 

the  Bourbons,  77. 
Notre  Dame,  marriage  of  the  Duke 

and    Duchess  of    Berry  in,  79; 

ceremony  of  the  baptism  of  the 

Duke  of  Bordeaux  in,  243  et  seq. 
Nuncio,  Papal,  address  of,  to  the 

Duchess  of  Berry,  225. 

Orleans,  Duke  of,  a  refugee  at  the 
court  of  King  Ferdinand,  8;  at 
the  King's  death-bed,  295. 

Orleans,  Duchess  of,  127. 

Paris,  agitation  in,  after  the  mur- 
der of  the  Duke  of  Berry,  198 
et  seq. 

Philip  v.,  2. 

Pontmartin,  his  description  of  the 
Duchess  of  Berry,  99. 

Puymaigre,  Count  of,  describes  his 
last  interview  with  the  King,  283. 

Rambouillet,  the  royal  family  at, 

115. 
Rapp,   General,   grief  of,    at  the 

death  of  Napoleon,  250. 


INDEX 


301 


Remusat,  M.  Charles  de,  on  the 
marriage  of  the  Duke  of  Berry, 
68 ;  on  the  entry  of  the  Princess 
into  Paris,  75,  84. 

Remusat,  Madame  de,  letter  of,  to 
her  husband,  103;  on  the  death 
of  the  Duchess  of  Berry's  first 
child,  106,  162,  174. 

Revolutionary  party  discouraged 
by  the  birth  of  the  Duke  of  Bor- 
deaux, 271. 

Rochefoucauld,  Viscount  Sosthene, 
259,  261. 

Royalists  under  Louis  XVIII.,  92. 

Sainte-Aulaire,  M.  de,  177. 

Saint  Denis,  obsequies  of  the  Duke 

of  Berry  at,  187  et  seq. 
Sanfelice,  Luigia,  execution  of,  4. 
Serre,  M.  de,  197. 
Soubriard,  143. 


Spanish  war,  success  of,  272. 

Talleyrand,  75. 

Toulon,  the  Duchess  of  Berry  at, 

48. 
Tour  de  La  Suzette,  114. 
Trognon's    Vie   de   Marie- Amelie, 

quoted,  9. 

Vaulabelle,  M.  de,  136. 

Viel  Castel,  Baron  de,  quoted,  110, 
182. 

Villele,  ministry  of,  279 ;  memoran- 
dum of,  concerning  the  King's 
speech,  280;  his  account  of  an 
interview  with  the  King  shortly 
before  his  death,  286  et  seq. 

Vitrolles,  Baron  de,  advises  the 
Count  of  Artois  to  marry  again, 
176,  179;  on  the  Countess  of 
Cayla  and  the  King,  263. 


Typography  by  J.  S.  Gushing  &  Co.,  Boston,  U.S.A. 
Presswork  by  Berwick  &  Smith,  Boston,  U.S.A. 


FAMOUS  WOMEN   OF  THE 
FRENCH  COURT. 


CHARLES  .SCRIBNER'S  SONS,  PUBLISHERS. 


r\URING  the  past  two  years  the  publishers  have  issued 
^-^  translations  often  of  M.  Imbert  de  Saint-Amand's  histori- 
cal works,  relating  to  the  momentous  and  agitated  period  dating 
from  the  beginnings  of  the  French  Revolution  to  the  seating 
of  Louis  XVIII.  on  the  throne  of  his  ancestors  after  the  battle 
of  Waterloo.  Of  these  three  have  had  as  a  nucleus  the  historic 
portion  of  the  life  of  Marie  Antoinette,  three  that  of  the  life  of 
Josephine,  and  four  are  devoted  to  the  events  centring  around 
the  figure  of  the  Empress  Marie  Louise.  The  success  of  these 
works  has  been  so  unequivocal  from  the  first,  that  the  pub- 
lishers have  begun  the  issue  of  the  important  volumes  of  M. 
de  Saint-Amand's  series  relating  to  the  period  immediately- 
following  the  Napoleonic  era,  the  period  of  the  Restoration. 
Of  this  period  the  author's  "famous  women  of  the  French 
Court"  are  the  Duchess  of  Angouleme  and  the  Duchess  of 
Berry.  Like  their  predecessors  these  volumes  are  largely 
biographical  and  possess  the  lively  interest  belonging  to 
personality,  but,  as  before  also,  they  are  equally  pictures  of 
the  times  to  which  they  relate,  and  are  largely  made  up  of 
contemporary  memoirs  and  letters  and  original  documents. 

The  period  itself,  though  on  account  of  its  proximity  to 
the  era  of  France's  most  stirring  annals  and  greatest  glory  it 
has  been  overshadowed  in  popular  imagination,  is  one  of  the 
greatest  interest,  and,  in  fact,  the  first  two  volumes  largely 


FAMOUS  WOMEN-  OF  THE  FRENCH  COURT. 

relate  to  the  Imperial  epoch,  viewed  from  the  side  of  the 
Royalist  emigris.  The  story  of  the  exiled  Bourbons  and  their 
adherents  during  these  days  has  rarely  been  told,  and 
especially  novel  and  interesting  is  the  account,  from  the  inside, 
of  the  panic  and  flight  of  the  king  and  his  party  at  the  time  of 
the  dramatic  return  from  Elba.  The  exile  at  Ghent  followed, 
then  Waterloo  and  the  second  return  of  the  Bourbons  this 
time  exasperated  and  vindictive,  the  trials  and  execution  of 
General  Lab^doyere  and  Marshal  Ney,  the  escape  of  Lavalette, 
the  reconstitution  of  society  as  it  settled  into  grooves  of  peace 
after  so  many  years  of  war,  the  assassination  of  the  Duke  of 
Berry,  the  Ministry  of  the  Duke  Decazes,  and  the  political 
conduct  of  the  close  of  Louis  XVIII. 's  reign. 

Of  this  period  the  Duchess  of  Angouleme  at  first  and  then 
the  Duchess  of  Berry  were  the  salient  feminine  figures.  The 
former  notably  was  a  woman  of  force  and  influence,  besides 
exercising  authority  as  the  daughter  of  Louis  XVI.  and  Marie 
Antoinette,  and  arousing  interest  and  sympathy  for  the 
sufferings  of  her  early  life  when  she  was  a  prisoner  in  the 
Temple  and  was  successively  bereft  of  her  father,  mother, 
aunt,  and  brother.  No  children  having  been  born  of  her 
marriage  with  her  cousin,  the  son  of  the  future  Charles  X.,  the 
eyes  of  the  Court  and  nation  were  turned  toward  the  lively  and 
charming  Duchess  of  Berry  after  her  union  with  the  younger 
brother  of  the  Duke  of  Angouleme,  the  union  from  which 
sprang  the  late  Count  of  Chambord,  and  the  more  sprightly 
and  adventurous  Neapolitan  succeeded  her  graver  sister-in-law 
as  the  centre  of  Court  society.  Of  both  these  contrasting  and 
interesting  personalities,  as  well  as  of  a  score  of  others 
influential  at  this  time,  M.  de  Saint-Amand  has  drawn  most 
speaking  portraits,  and  added  to  the  historical  value  of  his 
books  a  very  great  biographic  interest.    . 


FAMOUS    WOMEN  OF  THE  FRENCH  COURT. 

THREE  NEW  VOLUMES. 

Each  with  Portrait,  $1.25.     Price  per  set,  in  box,  cloth,  $3,75;  half  calf,  $7.50. 
THE   DUCHESS   OF   BERRY  AND   THE   COURT  OF  LOUIS  XVIII. 
THE   DUCHESS   OF  BERRY   AND  THE  COURT  OF  CHARLES   X.     (In    Press.) 
THE  DUCHESS  OF  BERRY  AND  THE  REVOLUTION  OF  JULY  1830.     (In  Press.) 

The  Princess  Marie  Caroline,  of  Naples,  became,  upon  her  marriage  with  the 
Duke  of  Berry,  the  central  figure  of  the  French  Court  during  the  reigns  of  both 
Louis  XVIII.  and  Charles  X.  The  former  of  these  was  rendered  eventful  by  the 
assassination  of  her  husband  and  the  birth  of  her  son,  the  Count  of  Chambord, 
and  the  latter  was  from  the  first  marked  by  those  reactionary  tendencies  which 
resulted  in  the  dethronement  and  exile  of  the  Bourbons.  The  dramatic  Revolution 
which  brought  about  the  July  monarchy  of  Louis  Philippe  has  never  been  more 
vividly  and  intelligently  described  than  in  the  last  volume  devoted  to  the  Duchess 
of  Berry. 


VOLUMES   PREVIOUSLY   ISSUED. 


THREE  VOLUMES  ON  MARIE  ANTOINETTE. 
Much  with  Portrait,  $1.25.    Price  per  set,  in  box,  cloth^  $3-75  >  half  calf ,  $7.50. 

MARIE   ANTOINETTE   AND   THE    END   OF   THE    OLD    r'EGIME. 

MARIE   ANTOINETTE   AT   THE   TUILERIES. 

MARIE   ANTOINETTE   AND   Ti-.E    DOWNFALL   OF   ROYALTY. 

In  this  series  is  unfolded  the  tremendous  panorama  of  political  events  in 
which  the  unfortunate  Queen  had  so  influential  a  share,  beginning  with  the  days 
immediately  preceding  the  Revolution,  when  court  life  at  Versailles  was  so  gay 
and  unsuspecting,  continuing  with  the  enforced  journey  of  the  royal  family  to 
Paris,  and  the  agitating  months  passed  in  the  Tuileries,  and  concluding  with 
the  abolition  of  royalty,  the  proclamation  of  the  Republic,  and  the  imprisonment 
of  the  royal  family — the  initial  stage  of  their  progress  to  the  guillotine. 

THREE   VOLUMES  ON  THE  EMPRESS  JOSEPHINE. 
Each  with  Portrait,  $1.25.     Price  per  set,  in  box,  cloth,  $3.75  ;  half  calf ,  17.50. 
CITIZENESS   BONAPARTE. 
THE   WIFE   OF   THE   FIRST   CONSUL. 
THE   COURT   OF   THE   EMPRESS  JOSEPHINE. 

The  romantic  and  eventful  period  beginning  with  Josephine's  marriage,  com- 
prises the  astonishing  Italian  campaign,  the  Egyptian  expedition,  the  coup 
iTitat  of  Brumaire,  and  is  described  in  the  first  of  the  above  volumes,  while  the 
second  treats  of  the  brilliant  society  which  issued  from  the  chaos  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, and  over  which  Madame  Bonaparte  presided  so  charmingly,  and  the  third 
of  the  events  between  the  assumption  of  the  imperial  title  by  Napoleon  and  the 
end  of  1807  including,  of  course,. the  Austerlitz  campaign. 


FAMOUS  WOMEN  OF  THE  FRElVCll  COURT. 

FOUR   VOLUMES  ON  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 
Each  with  Portrait,  $1.25.    Price  per  set,  in  box,  cloth,  $5.00;  half  calf,  $io.oo. 
THE  HAPPY   DAYS  OF  MARIE   LOUISE. 
MARIE   LOUISE   AND   THE   DECADENCE   OF  THE   EMPIRE. 
MARIE   LOUISE  AND   THE    INVASION    OF   1814. 
MARIE  LOUISE,  THE  RETURN   FROM   ELBA,  AND  THE  HUNDRED  DAYS. 

The  auspicious  marriage  of  the  Archduchess  Marie  Louise  to  the  master  of 
Europe;  the  Russian  invasion  with  its  disastrous  conclusion  a  few  years  later; 
the  Dresden  and  Leipsic  campaign;  the  invasion  of  France  by  the  Allies  and  the 
marvellous  military  strategy  of  Napoleon  in  1814,  ending  only  with  his  defeat  and 
exile  to  Elba;  his  life  in  his  little  principality;  his  romantic  escape  and  dramatic 
return  to  France;  the  preparations  of  the  Hundred  Days;  Waterloo  and  the  definitive 
restoration  of  Louis  XVIIL  closing  the  era  begun  in  1789,  with  "The  End  of  the 
Old  Regime,"  are  the  subjects  of  the  four  volumes  grouped  around  the  personality 
of  Marie  Louise. 

TWO   VOLUMES  ON   THE  DUCHESS  OF  ANGOULiME. 

Each  with  Portrait,  $1.25.     Price  per  set,  in  box,  cloth,  $2.50;  half  calf,  $5.00. 

THE  YOUTH  OF  THE  DUCHESS  OF  ANGOULEME. 

THE  DUCHESS  OF  ANGOULEME  AND  THE  TWO  RESTORATIONS. 

The  period  covered  in  this  first  of  these  volumes  begins  with  the  life  of  the 
daughter  of  Louis  XVI.  and  Marie  Antoinette  imprisoned  in  the  Temple  after  the 
execution  of  her  parents,  and  ends  with  the  accession  of  Louis  XVIIL  after  the 
abdication  of  Napoleon  at  Fontainebleau.  The  first  Restoration,  its  illusions,  the 
characters  of  Louis  XVIIL,  of  his  brother,  afterwards  Charles  X.,  of  the  Dukes  of 
Angouleme  and  Berry,  sons  of  the  latter,  the  life  of  the  Court,  the  feeling  of  the  city, 
Napoleon's  sudden  return  from  Elba,  the  Hundred  Days  from  the  Royalist  side,  the 
second  Restoration,  and  the  vengeance  taken  by  the  new  government  on  the  Im- 
perialists, form  the  subject-matter  of  the  second  volume. 

"/«  these  translations  of  this  interesting  series  of  sketches,  we  have 
found  an  unexpected  amount  of  pleasure  atid  profit.  The  author  cites 
for  us  passages  fro}7t  forgotten  diaries,  hitherto  unearthed  letters^  extracts 
from  public  proceedings,  and  the  like,  and  contrives  to  combine  and 
arrange  his  material  so  as  to  make  a  great  many  very  vivid  and  pleas- 
ing pictures.  Nor  is  this  all.  The  material  he  lays  before  us  is  of  real 
value,  and  much,  if  not  most  of  it,  must  be  unknown  save  to  the  special 
students  of  the  period.  We  can,  therefore^  cordially  commend  these 
books  to  the  attention  of  our  readers.  They  will  find  them  attractive  in  ^ 
their  arrangement,  never  dull,  with  much  variety  of  scene  and  incident^ 
and  admirably  translated.''  —  The  Nation,  of  December  19,  1890. 


FAMOUS    WOMEN  OF  THE  FRENCH  COURT. 


CRITICAL  NOTICES. 


"  Indeed,  a  certain  sanity  of  vision  is  one  of  M.  de  Saint  Amand's  charac- 
teristics. ...  He  evidently  finds  it  no  difficult  task  to  do  justice  to  Legitimist 
and  Imperialist,  to  the  old  vi^orld  that  came  to  an  end  with  the  Revolution 
and  to  the  new  world  that  sprang  from  the  old  world's  ashes.  Nor  do  his 
qualifications  as  a  popular  historian  end  here.  He  has  the  gift  of  so  mar- 
shalling his  facts  as  to  leave  a  definite  impression.  These  are  but  short 
books  on  great  subjects;  for  M.  de  Saint  Amand  is  not  at  all  content  to 
chronicle  the  court  life  of  his  three  heroines,  and  writes  almost  more  fully 
about  their  times  than  he  does  about  themselves;  but  yet  comparatively 
short  as  the  books  may  be,  they  tell  their  story,  in  many  respects,  better 
than  some  histories  of  greater  pretensions." — The  Academy,  Loiidon. 

"The  volumes  are  even  more  pictures  of  the  times  than  of  the 
unhappy  occupants  of  the  French  throne.  The  style  is  clear  and  familiar, 
and  the  smaller  courts  of  the  period,  the  gossip  of  the  court  and  the 
course  of  history,  give  interest  other  than  biographical  to  the  work." — 
Baltimore  Sun. 

**  M.  de  Saint- Amand  makes  the  great  personages  of  whom  he  writes 
very  human.  In  this  last  volume  he  has  brought  to  light  much  new 
material  regarding  the  diplomatic  relations  between  Napoleon  and  the 
Austrian  court,  and  throughout  the  series  he  presents,  with  a  wealth  of 
detail,  the  ceremonious  and  private  life  of  the  courts." — San  Francisco 
Argonaut, 

"The  sketches,  like  the  times  to  which  they  relate,  are  immensely 
dramatic.  M.  Saint-Amand  writes  with  a  vivid  pen.  He  has  filled 
himself  with  the  history  and  the  life  of  the  times,  and  possesses  the  art 
of  making  them  live  in  his  pages.  His  books  are  capital  reading,  and 
remain  as  vivacious  as  idiomatic,  and  as  pointed  in  the  translation  as  in 
the  original  French." — The  Independent. 

* '  The  last  volume  of  the  highly  interesting  series  is  characterized 
by  all  that  remarkable  attractiveness  of  description,  historical  and  per- 
sonal, that  has  made  the  former  volumes  of  the  series  so  popular. 
M.  de  Saint-Amand's  pictures  of  court  life  and  of  the  brilliant  men  and 
women  that  composed  it,  make  the  whole  read  with  a  freshness  that  is  as 
fascinatJTJg  as  it  is  instructive." — Boston  Home  Journal. 


FAMOUS    WOMEN-  OF  THE  FRENCH  COURT. 

**  M.  de  Saint-Amand's  volumes  are  inspired  with  such  brightness, 
knowledge,  and  appreciation,  tha,t  their  value  as  studies  in  a  great 
historical  epoch  requires  acknowledgement.  Though  written  mainly  to 
entertain  in  a  wholesome  way,  they  also  instruct  the  reader  and  give 
him  larger  views.  That  they  have  not  before  been  translated  for  publi- 
cation here  is  a  little  singular.  Now,  that  their  time  has  come,  people 
should  receive  them  gratefully  while  they  read  them  with  the  attention 
they  invite  and  deserve." — N,  V.  Times. 

"These  volumes  give  animated  pictures,  romantic  in  coloring, 
intimate  in  detail,  and  entertaining  from  beginning  to  end.  To  the 
student  of  history  they  furnish  the  more  charming  details  of  gossip  and 
court  life  which  he  has  not  found  in  his  musty  tomes  ;  while  in  the  novice 
they  must  be  the  lode-stone  leading  to  more  minute  research.  The  series 
is  of  more  than  transient  value  in  that  it  teaches  the  facts  of  history 
through  the  medium  of  anecdote,  description,  and  pen  portraits  ;  this 
treatment  having  none  of  the  dryness  of  history  per  se,  but  rather  the 
brilliancy  of  romance." — Boston  Times. 

"  The  central  figure  of  the  lovely  Josephine  attracts  sympathy  and 
admiration  as  does  hardly  one  other  historical  character.  We  have 
abundance  of  gossip  of  the  less  harmful  kind,  spirited  portraits  of  men 
and  women  of  note,  glimpses  here  and  there  of  the  under-current  of 
ambition  and  anxiety  that  lay  beneath  the  brilliant  court  life,  anecdotes 
in  abundance,  and  altogether  a  bustling,  animated,  splendidly  shifting 
panorama  of  life  in  the  First  Empire.  No  such  revelation  of  the  private 
life  of  Napoleon  and  Josephine  has  hitherto  been  given  to  the  world  as 
in  '  The  Court  of  the  Empress  Josephine.*  It  is  the  autho-'s  master- 
piece."— Christian  Union. 


For  sali  by  all  booksellers,  or  sent,  postpaid  on  receipt  of  price,  by 

CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S    SONS, 
743-745  Broadway, New  York. 


The  First  American  Edition 


MEMOIRS   OF 

NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE 

By  LOUIS  ANTOINE  FAUVELET  DE  BOURRIENNE 

His  Private  Secretary 
With  34  Full-page  Portraits  and  Other  Illustrations 

Edited  by  Col.  R.  W.   PHIPPS.      New  and  Revised  Edition 


The  Set,  4  Vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  in  a  Box,  $5.00 

Characteristic  bindings  in  Half  Morocco  and  Half  Calf,  specially  designed 

for  this  work,  can  now  be  supplied 
The  Set,  4  Vols,,  in   a  box,  Half  Morocco,  gilt  top,         ,        .        .         $8.00 
"  "  Half  Calf,  "  ...  10.00 


CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S   SONS,  Publishers 
NEW  YORK 


FOR  sixty  years  Bourrienne's  "Memoirs  of  Napoleon" 
has  been  a  standard  authority  to  which  every  one 
has  turned  for  a  graphic,  entertaining  picture  of 
the  man  as  he  appeared  to  his  intimate  friend  and  Secre- 
tary. Bourrienne,  vi^ho  had  been  the  friend  and  com- 
panion of  Napoleon  at  school,  became  his  Secretary  in 
1797  and  remained  in  this  confidential  position  till  1802. 
His  *' Memoirs"  has  heretofore  been  accessible  only  in 
the  English  editions.  It  is  now  proposed  to  publish 
immediately  in  a  popular  Library  Edition,  in  four  i2mo 
volumes,  an  exact  reprint  of  the  latest  English  edition. 
This  American  edition  will  contain  the  thirty-four  por- 
traits and  other  illustrations  of  the  original,  together  with 
all  tho  other  features  that  give  distinction  to  the  work — 
the  chronology  of  Napoleon's  life,  the  prefaces  to  the 


B  O  URRIENNE'S    '  'NA  P  OLE  ON. 


several  editions,  the  author's  introduction,  and  the  addi- 
tional matter  which  supplements  Bourrienne's  work,  an 
account  of  the  important  events  of  the  Hundred  Days, 
of  Napoleon's  surrender  to  the  English,  and  of  his  resi- 
dence and  death  at  St.  Helena,  with  anecdotes  and  illus- 
trative extracts  from  contemporary  Memoirs.  The  per- 
sonality of  one  of  the  greatest  figures  in  history  is  placed 
before  the  reader  with  remarkable  fidelity  and  dramatic 
power  by  one  who  was  the  Emperor's  confidant  and  the 
sharer  of  his  thoughts  and  fortunes.  The  picture  of  the 
man  Napoleon  is  of  fascinating  interest.  Besides  this, 
the  book  is  full  of  the  most  interesting  anecdotes,  hon 
motSy  character  sketches,  dramatic  incidents,  and  the 
gossip  of  court  and  camp  at  one  of  the  most  stirring 
epochs  of  history,  taken  from  contemporary  Memoirs  and 
incorporated  in  the  work  by  the  editors  of  the  different 
editions. 


List  of  Portraits,  Etc. 


NAPOLEON  I. 
LETITIA  RAMOLINO 
THE  EMPRESS  JOSEPH- 
INE 
EUGENE  BEAUHARNAIS 
GENERAL   KL^BER 
MARSHAL  LANNES 
TALLEYRAND 
GENERAL  DUROC 
MURAT,  KING  OF  NAPLES 
GENERAL  DESAIX 
GENERAL  MOREAU 
HORTENSE      BEAUHAR- 
NAIS 
THE  EMPRESS  JOSEPH- 
INE 
NAPOLEON  I. 


THE  DUG  D'ENGHIEN 
GENERAL  PICHEGRU 
MARSHAL  NEY 
CAULAINCOURT,      DUKE 

OF  VICENZA 
MARSHAL  DAVOUST 
CHARGE  OF  THE   CUIR- 
ASSIERS AT  EYLAU 
GENERAL  JUNOT 
MARSHAL  SOULT 
THE     EMPRESS     MARIA 

LOUISA 
GENERAL  LASALLE 
COLORED    MAP    SHOW- 
ING NAPOLEON'S  DO- 
MINION 
THE     EMPRESS     MARIA 
LOUISA 


MARSHAL  MASSENA 
MARSHAL  MACDONALD 
FAC-SIMILE  OF  THE  EM- 
PEROR'S ABDICATION 
IN   1814 

NAPOLEON  I. 

MARSHAL  SOUCHET 

THE  DUKE  OF  WELLING- 
TON 

PLANS  OF  BATTLE  OF 
WATERLOO 

MARSHAL  BLUCHER 

MARSHAL  GOUVION  ST. 

CYR 
MARSHAL  NEY 
THE  KING  OF  ROME 
GENERAL  BESSIERES 


I 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
BERKELEY 

Return  to  desk  from  which  borrowed. 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


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THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CAUFORNIA  UBRARY 


